Method for managing a workflow process that assists users in procurement, sourcing, and decision-support for strategic sourcing

ABSTRACT

A method for assisting a user with procurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing decisions in an enterprise is disclosed. The method implements a plurality of software modules in a logical workflow process based on the results of integrating and analyzing data. The workflow process provides a plurality of steps for discovering data, analyzing data, alerting the user about the data, recommending actions to the user based on the data, and executing those actions. The workflow process is based on a Value Chain Intelligence (VCI) system, which integrates and analyzes internal data from enterprises and external data from suppliers, catalogs, and marketplaces in real time for their impact on supply chains processes. Components for such a system may consist of internal data collection components, external data collection components, data integration components, and data application components. Various methods for searching, extracting, transforming, integrating, analyzing, and representing data internal to an enterprise and data external to an enterprise are also disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to the fields of procurement,strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, supplier management, datawarehousing, supply chain management, and enterprise software. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a computer-implementedsystem, method and process for providing value chain intelligence andthe use thereof in an enterprise.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A supply chain encompasses all of the activities associated withthe process of moving goods through a network of facilities anddistribution channels from suppliers to manufacturers to distributors toretailers to final consumers. Managing the chain of events in thisprocess is known as Supply Chain Management (SCM). Companies use SCM tomake critical decisions about production, purchasing, scheduling,transportation, warehousing, order processing, inventory control,information management, and customer service. The key to the success ofa supply chain often is the speed with which these activities can beaccomplished. The results of a successful SCM system can lead to reducedinventories, lower operating costs, shorter time-to-market, andincreased customer satisfaction.

[0003] SCM applications generally perform one of two functions: planningor execution. Supply chain planning applications design and implementscheduling systems for enterprise systems. Supply chain executionapplications focus on SCM logistics, such as coordinating theproduction, transportation and storage of materials. This artificialdivision of labor between planning and execution in SCM applications haslimited their effectiveness.

[0004] Sourcing and procurement are critical to SCM processes. Sourcinggenerally deals with the search for and identification of suppliers ofmaterials and services; it can be more strategic than procurement.Sourcing often involves locating potential suppliers and thenevaluating, developing and managing their capabilities in a mannerconsistent with the enterprise's plans for meeting customer expectationsand needs. Procurement, on the other hand, generally deals with theday-to-day activities of purchasing materials. Procurement can be moretactical than sourcing.

[0005] Sourcing is intended for the strategic sourcing group of anenterprise, which is concerned with long term decision-making aboutwhich materials to source, from which suppliers, under what contractterms, etc. Procurement is targeted to the enterprise's buyers, who mustdeal with the day-to-day tasks of purchasing the necessary materials forthe enterprise's production-related operations. The primary goals ofprocurement is to ensure the uninterrupted supply of materials bypurchasing under contract from current suppliers, by identifying newsuppliers, and by purchasing from new and existing marketplaces.

[0006] Current procurement applications focus on the procurement ofindirect or Maintenance, Repair and Operating (MRO) materials, but noton direct materials. MRO materials are not related to manufacturing;they include copy toner, light bulbs, toilet paper, etc. Directmaterials, on the other hand, are directly related to manufacturing andinclude a wide variety of product components. One of the primarydistinctions between direct and indirect materials is that indirectmaterials do not require customization because they can be purchasedfrom a catalog. Direct materials, however, may require customizationdepending on the type of product, process or system being implemented.In addition, because direct materials are critical to the manufacturingprocess, a variety of considerations relating to continuous qualitysupply have to be made.

[0007] With constant mergers and acquisitions, the increasing use ofoutsourcing, and shortening product life cycles, global manufacturersare facing challenges that increasingly fragment an already complex andextended procurement process. Considering that the majority ofmanufacturer's expenses come from the procurement of direct goods,enterprise solutions that can identify cost saving opportunities andmitigate risks are becoming more critical to business operations. Thepresent invention, a Value Chain Intelligence (VCI) system and methodsbased thereon, provides improved solutions to such problems. Forinstance, a large enterprise, such as Motorola or other phone/systemmanufacturer, can use a VCI system to locate chip components on the spotmarket at lower prices than its current contract pricing. In anotherexample, an enterprise, such as Ericsson or other phone/systemmanufacturer, can use a VCI system to locate additional suppliers forcritical cell phone components when an unexpected event like amanufacturing plant fire creates a shortage of those necessarycomponents. The present invention provides these solutions by not onlyintegrating enterprise and marketplace information, but also byanalyzing that information and alerting users about opportunities toreduce risk and save costs.

[0008] With the growth of the Internet and the resulting changes in thespeed and access of information, it has been determined that companieswould greatly benefit from solutions that provide continuous access tothe many types of information that are now available and canintelligently incorporate this information into their SCM processes. Ifsuch access were provided (as in accordance with the present invention),companies would be able to analyze both enterprise data and market datafor risks and opportunities, make strategic decisions based on thoserisks and opportunities, and be able to automate their operations aroundthis critical information. It thus would be highly advantageous forcompanies to be able to integrate these solutions into their SCMprocesses.

[0009] Existing enterprise applications, however, have focused onstreamlining internal processes without incorporating external data fromsuppliers and markets. With the recent development of private and publiconline marketplaces, which generate a wealth of potentially usefulexternal data, it has been discovered that enterprise applications, suchas in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, now have theopportunity to access critical external data from these sources andintegrate this data with the internal data of enterprise systems.Unfortunately, prior to the present invention internal supply chain datafrom a variety of custom databases and Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) applications has remained fragmented across multiple systems, andthe relevant external data are frequently dispersed and difficult toaccess. Thus, existing applications currently do not have the tools toaccess or integrate external data with internal data.

[0010] The present invention is an effort to address such limitations ofconventional approaches with a Value Chain Intelligence (VCI) system,which integrates the external and internal data required bymanufacturing companies to gain strategic insights into ever-changingbusiness demands and requirements. Targeting procurement and supplychain professionals, VCI systems in accordance with the presentinvention provide a variety of solutions that enable companies to reducethe risk of shortages, quickly take advantage of market opportunities,and improve overall capital efficiency. Such VCI systems allow companiesto access external supplier and spot market data, integrate this datawith internal data from multiple enterprise systems, analyze the impactof this data on the supply chain to identify risks and opportunities,and act on these findings. Such VCI systems may be used to combinesupply chain planning and execution functions with other services, suchas data integration, demand forecasting, and continuous market analysis,enabling users to not only gain insights into their supply chainoperations, but also share the data among all participants in the supplychain network.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0011] The present invention provides what is referred to herein as aValue Chain Intelligence (VCI) system, and methods for implementing andusing such a VCI system. In accordance with the present invention, a VCIsystem is provided that may be used to improve the efficiency ofprocurement professionals by searching, gathering, analyzing, andorganizing data from a plurality of enterprise and marketplace sources,and enabling professionals to leverage market and supply chainconditions in real time. As will be appreciated, the present inventionmay be generally utilized for improving decision-making in enterprises.The present invention preferably includes internal data collectioncomponents, external data collection components, data integrationcomponents, and data application components. The present inventionpreferably integrates internal data from enterprises and external datafrom suppliers, catalogs, and marketplaces, implementing a plurality ofapplication modules in a logical workflow process.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a system andmethods for integrating planning and execution applications withexternal market data (and other external data) and internal enterprisedata in real time and in accordance with the present invention.

[0013] Another object is to provide a system and methods for integratinginternal data from enterprise systems and internal data from data martswith real-time external data from suppliers, vendors, catalogs, andonline marketplaces in accordance with the present invention.

[0014] A further object is to provide a system and methods for datadiscovery functions of VCI systems, including the data extraction, datatransformation, data loading, real-time searching, and customization ofalerts in accordance with the present invention.

[0015] Still a further object of the present invention to provide asystem and methods for data analysis functions of VCI systems, includingdata visualization, forecasting, risk analysis, and what-if scenarios inaccordance with the present invention.

[0016] Another object of the present invention to provide a system andmethods for recommendation functions of VCI systems, including inventorymanagement, contract negotiations, purchasing recommendations, dataoptimization, supplier allocation, demand aggregation, spot marketanalysis, and market and news alerts in accordance with the presentinvention.

[0017] Yet another object is to provide a system and methods forautomation/execution functions of VCI systems, including partial andfull automation, alert mechanisms, report generation, and e-mailnotifications in accordance with the present invention.

[0018] Still another object of the present invention is to provide asystem and methods for integrating VCI functions and services with otherenterprise applications in accordance with the present invention.

[0019] A further object of the present invention is to provide a systemand methods for providing a customizable user interface that integratesinternal and external data for automation/execution functions of VCIsystems in accordance with the present invention.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide methods andsystems for producing scalable data marts that can manage large datasets and accommodate rapid data growth, while integrating VCI functionsand services with other process-oriented SCM applications in accordancewith the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The present invention may be more fully understood by adescription of certain preferred embodiments in conjunction with theattached drawings in which:

[0022]FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a conventional privatemarketplace;

[0023]FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a conventional publicmarketplace;

[0024]FIG. 1C is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a VCIsystem in accordance with the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a VCI system that integratesinternal and external data with planning and execution applications inaccordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention;

[0026]FIG. 3A illustrates examples of internal data and internal datasources in accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention;

[0027]FIG. 3B illustrates examples of external data and external datasources in accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention;

[0028]FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the workflow process andservices of a VCI system in accordance with preferred embodiments of thepresent invention;

[0029]FIG. 5 is a high-level diagram illustrating exemplary embodimentsof the application layers and components of a VCI system in accordancewith preferred embodiments of the present invention;

[0030]FIG. 6 is a high-level architectural diagram illustrating thehardware and software components of a VCI system in accordance withpreferred embodiments of the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 7A is an architectural diagram illustrating the internal datacollection components of a VCI system in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 7B is an architectural diagram illustrating the external datacollection components of a VCI system in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention;

[0033]FIG. 7C is an architectural diagram illustrating the dataintegration components of a VCI system in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention; and

[0034]FIG. 7D is an architectural diagram illustrating the dataapplication components of a VCI system in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] The present invention will be described in greater detail withreference to certain preferred and alternative embodiments. As describedbelow, refinements and substitutions of the various embodiments arepossible based on the principles and teachings herein.

[0036]FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a conventionalprivate marketplace. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, private marketplace 2links a plurality of suppliers 4-10 with single buyer 12, providing aone-to-many commerce hub. Private marketplaces 2, like an on-lineexchange, tend to focus on improving existing trading relationships andbuilding better integration of channel partners. For example, a largeenterprise, such as Dell Computer, may develop a private marketplace fora select group of its suppliers, so that it can purchase and sourcematerials on a needs basis. An enterprise may use private marketplacesto provide access to internal enterprise data and automate thepurchasing process with select suppliers, but private marketplaces areoften limited to a specific enterprise, do not provide access to broadermarket data, and are difficult if not costly to develop, maintain, andupdate.

[0037]FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a conventionalpublic marketplace. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, public marketplace 14links a plurality of suppliers 16-20 with a plurality of buyers 22-26,serving as a many-to-many commerce hub. Public marketplaces function ascentralized venues for improving price discovery, increasing vendornetworks, and decreasing distribution costs. For example, a B2Be-commerce company, such as Ariba or CommerceOne, may integrate anenterprise with an open exchange to provide real-time access to acompetitive marketplace for suppliers and buyers, so buyers can purchaseMRO goods from suppliers and vice versa. However, public marketplacestend to connect only a segment of the total number of buyers andsuppliers, and generally have been limited to mostly indirect goods andservices; therefore, they do not provide access to the range of datanecessary to make more optimum strategic sourcing decisions.

[0038] Traditionally, enterprises have been required to develop customtools for managing procurement and sourcing. For example, the data forsuch tools has included ERP data, Material Resource Planning (MRP) data,and data from design engineers, and has often been provided in a varietyof formats, such as print-outs, e-mails, and custom reports that had tobe specially requested to the IT department, who then integrate suchdata into custom tools, such as Excel spreadsheets. The development ofsuch custom tools can be costly and entail contracting expensiveconsultants. Moreover, since these tools are customized for legacysystems, they are seldom able to efficiently integrate withstate-of-the-art technologies. More often than not, the end-users woulddevelop their own versions, mainly spreadsheets, of such tools, in orderto cope with their daily tasks. The end result is that procurement andsupply chain professionals are restricted in their efforts to reducecosts, mitigate risk, and identify opportunities by having to use toolsthat not only provide limited access to disparate enterprise data, butalso provide fragmented and insufficient access to critical marketplaceand other external data necessary for making tactical and strategicdecisions. Even more importantly, such tools lack the ability tointegrate external to internal data, and vice versa, on a continuousbasis. Furthermore, such tools would typically provide very limiteddiscovery and analysis services, since these tools were conceived andimplemented by the individual users, such as procurement professionals,who use them for the particular task at hand, thus limiting theirefficacy across the entire enterprise.

[0039]FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a Value ChainIntelligence (VCI) system in accordance with the present invention. VCIsystem 28 is an enterprise system that preferably collects, analyzes andintegrates data from a plurality of data sources internal to anenterprise with data from a plurality of data sources external to anenterprise, enabling users to leverage market and supply chainconditions to make better decisions about sourcing and procurement. Asillustrated in FIG. 1C, VCI system 28 links one or a plurality of datasources, such as ERP system 3 and MRP system 5, inside the enterprise(as illustrated by dimension 9). VCI system 28 also preferably links oneor a plurality of additional data sources, such as component or productdesign and engineering source 7, inside the business unit and involvedin designing and modifying the design of products or systems for theenterprise, which typically includes specifying components and the like,and generally may be considered a different domain within the enterpriseas compared to ERP system 3 and MRP system 5, etc. (as illustrated bydimension 11). Data sources within dimensions 9 and 11 are preferablyinternal to the enterprise. In addition to these sources, VCI system 28links a plurality of data sources outside the enterprise, including, forexample, industry news 15, industry analysts 17, spot markets 19, netmarkets 21, vendor catalogs 23, potential suppliers 25, tier 1manufacturers to tier N manufacturers, and distributors 31 (asillustrated by dimension 13). Data sources within dimension 13 arepreferably external to the enterprise. For example, a large enterprise,such as Motorola, may connect its proprietary data to VCI system 28,which provides access to data from manufacturers, distributors,suppliers, vendors, exchanges, and news services, and vice versa.Accordingly, the large enterprise is provided tools in a desirablemanner in order to be able to negotiate not only the purchase but alsothe sale of direct materials based on current contract, spot marketprices, and up-to-date needs and requirements. Thus, unlike privateexchanges, VCI system 28 can provide access to external data outside acustomer's enterprise, and unlike public exchanges it can provide accessto a greater range of external data critical to making strategicdecisions about market and supply chain conditions. In accordance withthe present invention, VCI system 28 obtains and discovers a widevariety of internal and external data for particular components or otheritems, with the data typically originating in widely disparate forms andformats, with the data transformed and stored in a manner so as to beflexibly queried (such as by part number, type or characteristic such asby manufacturer, memory density, speed, functional characteristics, andthe like) and continuously updated, thereby enabling a more optimumstrategic decision-making process.

[0040]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a VCI system that integratesinternal and external data with planning and execution applications inaccordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention. VCIsystem 28 is an enterprise system comprised of a plurality ofapplications and components that gather internal data and external data,analyze this data for specified tasks, make strategic recommendationsbased on the analyses, and execute various operations based on therecommendations. VCI system 28 preferably includes applications andcomponents that integrate internal data 30, external data 32, planningfunctions 34, and execution functions 36. Internal data 30 preferablyconsist of proprietary data (typically intrinsic or having particularrelevance to the particular enterprise) that are retrieved from aplurality of customer enterprise systems, such as ERP systems, SCMsystems, supply databases, internal parts databases, inventories, etc.,which may exist across one or multiple business units within theenterprise (i.e., business units that manufacture different productsthat include common or similar components, etc.). External data 32preferably consist of data that exist outside the customer's enterprisesystem (typically having relevance to the enterprise and competing andother enterprises, such as product offerings that are generallyavailable or news events of general relevance to participants inparticular industries, etc.) that are retrieved from a plurality ofsources, such as suppliers, potential suppliers, product databases,electronic catalogues, online marketplaces, etc. Planning functions 34frequently consist of analytical tools for the aggregation andorganization of data, such as ERP applications that are used tofacilitate the production process. Execution functions 36 frequentlyconsist of logistical execution tools, such as SCM applications thatmanage the transportation, storage, and procurement of supplies. VCIsystem 28 preferably integrates the functions and services of aplurality of enterprise applications (as illustrated by dimensions 40)with a plurality of internal and external data (as illustrated bydimensions 38).

[0041] Current enterprise systems, however, do not have the capabilityto integrate all of these functions and different data sources. Currententerprise systems, such as ERP and SCM systems, tend to combine thecapabilities of planning functions 34 and execution functions 36, but donot integrate these functions with external data 32. In other words, atthe present time enterprises provide access to some forms of internaldata 30, but not to external data 32 and the widely disparate forms andformats of external data as with embodiments of the present invention.Therefore, users of current enterprises do not have access to thecontinuous supply of both internal and external data necessary formaking critical business decisions. In contrast, VCI system 28 inaccordance with the present invention integrates these functions anddata, enabling users to access, analyze, evaluate, and executeoperations in order to make strategic and tactical decisions aboutoperations based on the range of available data.

[0042]FIG. 3A illustrates examples of internal data sources andrespective types of internal data in accordance with the presentinvention. Internal data 30 preferably are comprised of proprietary dataaimed at and/or operated by an enterprise from a plurality of internaldata sources, including but not limited to suppliers' databases 42,contracts' databases 44, product quality databases 46, internal partsdatabases 48, data marts 50, ERP systems 52, SCM systems 54, MRP systems56, and Customer Relations Management (CRM) systems 58. (Proprietarydata generally are privately owned data that may require a specialarrangement, such as a contract, partnership, etc., with the enterpriseor data provider in order to use or purchase access to the data.) Sinceinternal data 30 originate from a plurality of sources, internal data 30are extracted in a variety of formats and therefore requiretransformation (which will be described further below). Internal datafrom suppliers' databases 42 preferably include proprietary informationabout suppliers, such as supplier ratings, fill rates, just-in-timereports, etc. Internal data from contracts databases 44 preferablyinclude proprietary information about client contracts, such as contractterms, pricing, delivery schedules, allocation terms, custom pricing,adjustments, etc. Internal data from product quality databases 46preferably include proprietary information about the quality of specificproducts and manufacturers, such as internal reports, product changerequests, warranty information, etc. Internal data from internal partsdatabases 48 preferably include proprietary information about parts,such parts catalogs, spare or other parts inventories, manufacturer'slists, parts equivalence data, etc. Internal data from data marts 50preferably include a plurality of proprietary information, such assupply inventories, manufacturer directories, retailer directories,account information, other customized and integrated data, etc. Internaldata from ERP systems 52 preferably include proprietary informationabout internal operations, such as accounting systems, purchasingrecords, various inventories and ledgers, etc. Internal data from SCMsystems 54 preferably include proprietary information about supply chainoperations, such as inventory logs, production schedules, transportationschedules, warehouse locations, etc. Internal data from MRP systems 56preferably include proprietary information about internal resourceplanning, such as, purchase orders, work orders, production schedules,stock room data, Bill of Materials (BOM) data, etc. Internal data fromCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) systems 58 preferably includeproprietary information about customer relations, such as addressdirectories, customer preferences, site information, vital customerdata, etc. It should be noted that in accordance with the presentinvention, internal data 30 are not limited to these types and sourcesof proprietary information, but may also include alternate types andsources of information internal to a customer's enterprise.

[0043]FIG. 3B illustrates examples of external data sources andrespective types of external data in accordance with the presentinvention. External data 32 preferably are comprised of data originatingoutside an enterprise, which may include historically contingent orother information of general interest to an enterprise, industry and/ormarket (including competing enterprises); and/or historically contingentor other information affecting the goods and services of an enterprise,industry and/or market; and/or data used internally by anotherenterprise that formerly originated outside of that enterprise. Externaldata 32 typically has relevance beyond the particular enterprise(including the enterprise's competitors), and thus discovering andaccessing such external data in a timely and intelligent manner canenable the enterprise to more timely make improved strategic decisionsas compared to its competitors, thus providing substantial advantages,particularly, for example, in times of fluctuating prices, shortages dueto emergencies and the like, discontinuations, etc. External data 32preferably originates from a plurality of data sources, including butnot limited to suppliers 60, product databases 62, electronic catalogs64, online marketplaces 66, subscription sources 68, news sources 70,and other sources 72. Since external data 32 also originate from aplurality of sources, external data 32 are extracted in a variety offormats as well and thus require transformation (which will be describedfurther below). External data from suppliers 60 preferably comprise dataabout suppliers and vendors, such as catalogs, prices, productspecifications, etc., from a plurality of supplier and vendor databases.External data from product databases 62 preferably include data aboutproducts, such as product name, product description, part numbers,compatible parts, specifications, etc., from a plurality of productdatabases. External data from electronic catalogs 64 preferably includedata about parts and components from a plurality of electronic andWeb-accessible sources. External data from online marketplaces 66preferably include information about current market data, such as price,availability, lead time, etc., from a plurality of online marketplaces,such as private exchanges, public exchanges, third-party exchanges,consortia-led exchanges, information hubs, electronic auctions, etc.External data from subscription sources 68 preferably includesubscription information about goods, services and industry trends, suchas market reports, news bulletins, supplier ratings, etc., from aplurality of subscription-based sources. External data from news sources70 preferably include information about goods, services and industrytrends, such as daily news broadcasts, API articles, reports, bulletins,trade journals and their electronic counterparts, etc., from a pluralityof Web-accessible news sources. External data from other sourcespreferably include information from alternate types of data sources. Itshould be noted that external data 32 are not limited to these sourcesof external information, but may also include alternate types andsources of information external to a customer's enterprise.

[0044]FIG. 4 is a high-level flowchart illustrating preferredembodiments of the workflow process and services of VCI system 28. Thepresent invention provides software applications in the form ofindividual components (i.e., modules) and bundled components (i.e.,application suites) that preferably implement VCI system 28 in astep-by-step workflow process. Internal data 30 and external data 32 areloaded into data mart 74 and processed by a plurality of modules, whichdeliver a plurality of functions and implement VCI workflow process 73.VCI workflow process 73 preferably embodies a process of discovery,analysis and execution, with the possibility of the inclusion of one ormore intermediate steps, such as discovery services 76, analysisservices 78, recommendation services 80, and execution services 82. Inalternate preferred embodiments, VCI workflow process 73 may includediscovery services, analysis services, and execution services, ordiscovery services, alert services, analysis services, and executionservices, or discovery services, alert services, analysis services,recommendation services and execution services, or discovery services,analysis services, and alert services, respectively (i.e., in accordancewith various embodiments of the present invention, the combination ofservices may desirably be selected and/or controlled to provide thedesired level and type of services to support VCI workflow process 73).Data mart 74 preferably includes a plurality of databases and databasemanagement systems that collectively store and analyze internal data 30and external data 32. At each step in VCI workflow process 73, theresulting data is preferably reintegrated back into data mart 74, whereit may be incorporated into a subsequent generation of data.

[0045] Thus, the user, when accessing the functionalities of themodules, is guided through a workflow process. For example, in anexemplary embodiment of the present invention, VCI workflow process 73includes discovery, analysis, recommendation, and execution.Accordingly, discovery services 76 assist the user in identifying aplurality of parameters for criteria that are important to the user'stasks, so that the user can obtain necessary data for making businessdecisions. Analysis services 78 use the input of the discovered data toproduce a variety of reports intended to assist the user in analyzingthe discovered data. The generated reports of analysis services 78 alongwith data from user-defined criteria may be used as input forrecommendation services 80 to make recommendations for possible actionsbased on the analyzed data. Finally, the recommendations may be used asinput for the user to decide which recommendations to execute inexecution services 80, which provide a means of implementing andautomating the recommended tasks.

[0046] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, discovery services 76 collect data inputs from a plurality ofsources for internal data 30 and for external data 32, synthesizing thedata to provide support for sourcing. Discovery services 76 also executea plurality of functions for identifying and establishing rules, noticesand alerts customized according to user-defined criteria. Accordingly,the functionalities of discovery services 76 focus not only on thecollection and integration of internal data 30 and external data 32, butalso on the presentation of that data to the user in graphical formats(e.g. charts, tables, etc.) and non-graphical formats (e.g. news,alerts, audio messages, etc.). The resulting data of discovery services76 are then preferably reintegrated back into data mart 74.

[0047] The functionalities of discovery services 24 preferably include:

[0048] Extraction, transformation, loading and normalization/integrationof internal data 30 and external data 32. Extract Transform Load (ETL)refers to software tools, which one of skill in the art will understandmay be used in accordance with the present invention to extract datafrom a source data set, transform the data through a set of business anddata rules, and load the data to a target data set.

[0049] Scanning of data, such as component data, which has beenaggregated across the enterprise. For example, a user may trace thetotal amount spent on a particular component or the number of currentsuppliers for that component, which may be across different businessunits of the enterprise.

[0050] Real-time searching of data (e.g., components) and data sources(e.g., suppliers).

[0051] Customization of real-time alerts and news feeds.

[0052] In an alternate preferred embodiment, the functionalities ofdiscovery services 76 may be separated as necessary into functionalitiesassociated with discovery services and functionalities associated withalert services, respectively. After discovery services 76 execute one ora plurality of functions based on user-defined criteria, then the dataare preferably transmitted or made available to analysis services 78.

[0053] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, analysis services 78 performs quantitative and qualitativeanalysis on the data results of discovery services 76 via a plurality ofalgorithms. Analysis services 78 may be customized based on user-definedcriteria. For instance, a client may request risk analysis, involvingapplications associated with analysis services 78 to provide a pluralityof analyses, such as model and forecast revenues based on inventorylevels, demand forecasts, market pricing, availability of constituentparts, etc. Such analyses are functions of modules in VCI system 28(which is described in more detail below); the modules implement aplurality of data and analysis tools, which offer solutions todomain-specific problems. Analysis services 78 thus examine and analyzea plurality of discovered data, such as contract terms, performancemetrics, current inventories, surplus and shortages, warehouselocations, etc., and produce one or a plurality of reports based on thesubsequently analyzed data. For example, internal data 30 and externaldata 32 may be analyzed by one or more modules to assess the impact orpotential impact of internal data 30 and external data 32 on procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions and/or strategic sourcing decisions in theenterprise with respect to one or more items. Accordingly, analysisservices selects from one or more user-defined parameters for internaldata 30 and external data 32 (i.e., allow user control over theparameters on which the analysis will be based), selecting values, valueranges, and/or conditions for the user-defined parameters, establishingweight(s) or relative weight(s) for the user-defined parameters, and/orprioritizing weight(s) or relative weight(s) for the user-definedparameters. In accordance with preferred embodiments, the resulting dataof analysis services 78 are then preferably reintegrated back into datamart 74.

[0054] The functionalities of analysis services 78 are focused onproviding the user with information and interpretations of the data, andpreferably include:

[0055] Risk analysis.

[0056] Data visualization via graphs, charts, etc.

[0057] What-if scenarios. For example, a user may ask what the impact onmargins will be if the price of a particular component goes up or down.

[0058] After analysis services 78 have run the integrated data throughthe algorithms based on the user-defined criteria, then the resultingdata are preferably transmitted or made available to recommendationservices 80.

[0059] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, recommendation services 80 collect analyzed data and userinputs about preferred constraint criteria in real time, and integrateit with current data in the databases and the data results of analysisservices 78. Recommendation services 80 then preferably examine theanalyzed data according to user-defined criteria (such as priorities andpreferences) and make recommendations (such as what to buy, when to buy,how much to buy, from whom to buy, what to sell, when to sell, how muchto sell, to whom to sell, etc.). Preferably recommendation services 80apply a plurality of algorithms that optimize the analyzed data based onspecific variables, such as price, quantity, time to delivery, clientpreferences, utility functions, business rules, etc. Recommendationservices 80 then preferably run the data through its algorithms, makinga recommendation or plurality of recommendations based on the resultingdata, displaying it via a generated report or the user interface of VCIsystem 28. In accordance with preferred embodiments, the resulting dataare then preferably reintegrated back into the data mart 74.

[0060] The functionalities of recommendation services 80 enable the userto define priorities, set parameters, and optimize outcomes based onthose parameters. For example, a user may ask for a recommendation abouthow many components should be held in inventory and how many componentsshould be allocated across divisions. After recommendation services 80have determined recommendations based on user-defined criteria andparameters, then the resulting data is preferably transmitted or madeavailable to execution services 82.

[0061] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, execution services 82 implement and automate the data resultsof recommended services 80 and recommend specific actions based onuser-defined criteria. The user then preferably chooses to either setthe automation features of execution services 82 to automatic mode,which automates all of the features and actions, or chooses to set theautomation features to semi-automatic mode, which allows the user toautomate some features and actions while not automating others (thus,automation levels of a first level, with a greater range of permittedautomated action, or of a second level, with a more restricted range ofpermitted automated action, and perhaps additional levels, may beselected.) In addition, the user may chose to request that VCI system 28generate a computer-readable output that can be fed into another systemthat initiate or effect action with that data. The functionalities ofexecution services 82 enable users to integrate VCI system 28 with otherprocess-oriented ERP and SCM applications to pursue a plurality ofactions. The functionalities of execution services 82 preferablyinclude:

[0062] Providing agents that follow user-defined rules to enablehands-free handling of user-defined exceptions and processes.

[0063] Initiating a transaction via another application. For example, auser may initiate a transaction for purchasing a specific component froma specific vendor.

[0064] Carrying out certain transactions, such as generating and sendingout a RFQ.

[0065] Changing information in an internal application. For example, auser may change the part number of a specified component in a Bill ofMaterials (BOM) after being alerted that the component is beingdiscontinued.

[0066] In accordance with preferred embodiments, the resulting data isagain reintegrated back into data mart 74, where it may be incorporatedinto the subsequent generation of historical data.

[0067] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, the data from discovery services 76, analysis services 78,recommendation services 80, and execution services 82 are respectivelyreintegrated into the data mart 74 at each step of the process. Thus,the resulting data is continuously incorporated into data mart 74 atpredetermined or other intervals, so that the accumulated datapreferably represents the synergistic state of a constantly growing andchanging data mart.

[0068]FIG. 5 is a high-level diagram illustrating exemplary embodimentsof application layers and components of VCI system 28. In preferredembodiments, VCI system 28 is comprised of three application layers:foundation layer 84, module layer 86, and product layer 88. Foundationlayer 84 is a set of components that provides shared data and servicesfor data integration, messaging, and a plurality of functions formodules 1-N 106 in module layer 86. Module layer 86 preferably resideson top of foundation layer 84 and contains a plurality of modules 1-N106, which define specific domain functions. Product layer 88 integratesthe functions of modules 1-N 106 in module layer 86, providing servicesin bundled combinations. Foundation layer 84, module layer 86 andproduct layer 88 are coupled to integrated internal and externaldatabases (which are described in greater detail below).

[0069] In accordance with the present invention, foundation layer 84preferably consists of a set of components that rely and interact withcore services 90, and provide common data and services to foundationservices 92. Foundation layer 84 is comprised of core services 90 andfoundation services 92. Preferably all of the components on foundationlayer 84, module layer 86, and product layer 88 may be installed and runlocally within an enterprise or hosted outside the enterprise dependingon the enterprise needs.

[0070] Core services 90 comprise the general services for managing andaccessing the basic services and functionality of VCI system 28,including the underlying operating systems, servers, etc. that reside onthe network. Core services 90 preferably include the followingfunctionalities:

[0071] Diagnostics provide unified error handling, error messages,logging/tracing, exception handling.

[0072] Internationalization supports different character sets andlanguages.

[0073] Channel services support message passing using, for example, JavaMessaging Service (JMS).

[0074] Scheduler executes tasks in user-defined intervals.

[0075] Object manager manages objects.

[0076] In accordance with the present invention, foundation layer 84preferably also consists of foundation services components 92.Foundation services components 92 include: alert engine 94, rules engine96, analytics cache 98, user management 100, workflow engine 102, andother services 104. Alert engine 94 preferably records and implementsalerts that the user establishes in the user interface. Rule engine 96is an engine for executing rule sets for automated or semi-automatedexecution. Analytics cache 98 preferably caches the results of the priorrequests for analysis, so other users may share the resulting data.Since some data analysis may require a lengthy time period forexecution, this component assists VCI system 28 by keeping the systemfrom dedicating too many of its resources to re-executing similaranalyses. Analytics engine 99 is an engine for performing analysis andoptimization using a variety of mathematical techniques, such as linearprogramming, quadratic programming, constraint programming, etc. Usermanagement 100 manages the user access of user to services (i.e., viauser password, etc.). Workflow engine 102 monitors the interaction ofusers with VCI system 28, iterates back and forth, manages statemachine, and relates to implementing workflow process.

[0077] In accordance with the present invention, each module in modulelayer 86 preferably targets a specific domain and set of users (e.g.,procurement and procurement professionals), identifies a specific set ofquestions, then provides functions and services in the form of actionsthat answer those questions. An “action” refers to any action oranalytical task that can be implemented by the module, such asinitiating a purchase, adding data to a database, performing acalculation, and notifying a user after an alert is triggered by e-mail,pager, etc. It is important to note that an “action” can be null,wherein there is no action other than the action having been triggeredand accompanied by a notification to the user that the action has beentriggered. Modules 1-N 106 in module layer 86 provide a plurality ofdata and analysis tools, which offer solutions to domain-specificproblems, such as risk management, price forecasting, and supplierallocation. Each module in module layer 86 preferably consists of thefollowing:

[0078] Specifications regarding what type of domain-specific data needsto be extracted and added to the data marts

[0079] A set of analysis algorithms to address the domain-specificanalyses

[0080] A set of optimization algorithms to be able to provide domainrelevant recommendations

[0081] Specifications/rules for rules-driven automation agents

[0082] Interfaces to other enterprise applications for feeding new dataand requests to enterprise applications

[0083] It is important to note that modules 1-N 106 leverage thecomponents in foundation layer 84 to provide integrated functionalityacross VCI workflow process 73 (i.e., discovery services 76, analysisservices 78, recommendation services 80, and execution services 82).Moreover, each module may be bundled with other modules in product layer88 to provide integrated enterprise solutions, such as procurementproduct 108, supplier product 110, and designer product 112.

[0084] Accordingly, modules 1-N 106 in module layer 86 preferablyinclude the following exemplary embodiments:

[0085] Data discovery module: This module preferably provides the userwith access to an integrated view of pertinent information, whichpreferably includes internal data 30, external data 32, and integrateddata based on computations of internal data 30 and external data 32.Data discovery module provides access to this data, so that a user mayaccess, query, analyze and organize such data in a multitude of ways.All of the data are preferably stored in relational databases indatamart 74, organized for querying and report generation, andrepresented to the user in a plurality of formats, such as tables,lists, reports, etc.

[0086] In accordance with the present invention, exemplary embodimentsof internal data 30 used by data discovery module preferably include:

[0087] Part numbers used inside an enterprise that may differ from partnumbers used by a manufacturer, marketplace, etc.

[0088] Product BOMs that contain the parts

[0089] Purchase history (e.g., from purchase orders) of a part,plurality of parts, or family of parts, including such information asdates, quantities, price, lead time, on-time delivery, etc.

[0090] Company policies that relate to a part, plurality of parts, orfamily of parts, which may be in the form of documents

[0091] Quality metrics for a given part, plurality of parts, or familyof parts

[0092] Current units in inventory for a given part, plurality of parts,or family of parts

[0093] Current days of supply as forecast for a given part, plurality ofparts, or family of parts

[0094] Demand forecast or plurality of demand forecasts for apredetermined period of time (e.g., one day, one week, 30 days, 60 days,etc.) for a given part, plurality of parts, or family of parts

[0095] Inventory target or plurality of inventory targets represented ina standard and/or predetermined unit of measurement (e.g., days ofsupply) for a given part, plurality of parts, or family of parts

[0096] Percentage of deviation from a target or plurality of targets fora given part, plurality of parts, or family of parts

[0097] Number of units to meet a target or plurality of targetsrepresented in a standard and/or predetermined unit of measurement(e.g., thousands of units) for a given part, plurality of parts, orfamily of parts

[0098] Contract availability for a given part, plurality of parts, orfamily of parts

[0099] Contract commitment or commitments for a given part, plurality ofparts, or family of parts

[0100] Percentage of contracts fulfilled for a given part, plurality ofparts, or family of parts

[0101] Locations of any breakdowns in the production line

[0102] Vendor Managed Inventory information

[0103] Ownership status for a given part, plurality of parts, or familyof parts

[0104] Contract prices and other terms of a controlling contract for agiven part, plurality of parts, or family of parts

[0105] In accordance with the present invention, exemplary embodimentsof external data 32 from product databases 62 used by data discoverymodule preferably include:

[0106] Manufacturers specifications of such parts, including thephysical and functional attributes of each part and their values

[0107] End of Life (EOL) information

[0108] Class of equivalent parts for a part, plurality of parts, orfamily of parts

[0109] Class of upgrade parts for a part, plurality of parts, or familyof parts

[0110] Standard industry categories for a part or plurality of parts

[0111] Classes of parts that are equivalent to a part or plurality ofparts for the purposes of certain specified applications

[0112] Link or plurality of links to a manufacturer's data-sheet ordata-sheets

[0113] List of manufacturers for a part, plurality of parts, or familyof parts

[0114] In accordance with the present invention, exemplary embodimentsof external data 32 from subscription sources 68, news sources 70, andother sources 72 used by data discovery module preferably include:

[0115] News stories relating to a part, its part family and the productcategory to which it belongs

[0116] Preferably such news stories are categorized in the userinterface of VCI system 28 in a product hierarchy, with each subcategoryin the product hierarchy showing the stories (or links to the stories)that are relevant to the parts in that particularly category. Moreover,the news stories may preferably be searched, filtered, or organized inthe user interface of VCI system 28 by date, geographic location, oraccording to the companies to which the news stories relate.

[0117] In accordance with the present invention, exemplary embodimentsof external data 32 from and suppliers 60 and online marketplaces 66used by data discovery module preferably include:

[0118] Current and historical offering prices from online marketplacesand current and/or potential suppliers

[0119] Possible delivery date if part or a plurality of parts arepurchased, including location of supplier

[0120] Location and/or locations that a part or plurality of parts maybe shipped from

[0121] Total net landed cost for a part or plurality of parts

[0122] Current and past sales offers for a part or plurality of parts,including as-of date, price, quantity, lead-time, etc.

[0123] In accordance with the present invention, exemplary embodimentsof data computed using extracted data points as input, plus analgorithm/method:

[0124] A rating computed by VCI system 28 of how strategic a part orplurality of parts are for a customer

[0125] User-defined definitions of equivalent parts

[0126] Part numbers with mapping of internally used part numbers tomanufacturers part numbers

[0127] Indicative pricing for parts for which there are no currentofferings in online marketplaces and current and/or potential suppliers,but for which VCI system 28 may compute a fair asking price

[0128] Actual purchases resulting from functions and services of VCIsystem 28

[0129] It should be recognized that subsets of the aforementioned dataof may be organized differently for different modules. For example, datamay be organized according to external data only, internal data only,news only, parts only (with EOL, upgrades, downgrades, alternate parts,etc.), suppliers only with the parts they carry, etc.

[0130] Data alert module: This module preferably enables users tomonitor vast amounts of data by identifying conditions for which theychoose to be alerted. Such alert conditions preferably include any dataaccessed by the data discovery module and allow users to identify andimplement actions based on specific variables. Alerts may be specifiedby a user who fully specifies the conditions that will trigger thealert. Alternatively, the user may select and/or further specify alertsfrom a list of alerts that VCI system 28 presents to the user via a userinterface (which is described in more detail below). In accordance withthe present invention, actions generated by VCI system 28 preferablyinclude but are not limited to the following alert actions:

[0131] Sending a notification by e-mail or sending a message to a phone,cellular phone, pager, etc.

[0132] Invoking a module or plurality of modules from module layer 86with partial or complete instantiation. It should be noted thatautomatic invocation and instantiation (i.e., specifying all or part ofthe input for performing a task with a module) may be the result of analert that has been triggered, or may be the result of an event that VCIsystem 28 determines merits invocation of a module or plurality ofmodules.

[0133] Invoking a module or plurality of modules from module layer 86with or without instantiation and/or accompanied by a textual or other(e.g., mathematical) representation of an alert or plurality of alertsthat caused the module to be invoked

[0134] Invoking a module or plurality of modules from module layer 86with or without instantiation and/or accompanied by a textual or other(e.g. mathematical) representation of the individual reasoning stepsthat caused the module to be invoked

[0135] Adding data to data mart 74

[0136] Adding data to any of the systems (i.e., data sources) thatcontain internal data 30

[0137] Adding data to any of the systems (i.e., data sources) thatcontain external data 32

[0138] Creating a new alert that may be automatically added to the listof alerts

[0139] Creating a new alert that may be added to the list of alertsafter the user's permission

[0140] Generating a document that can be passed as input to any of thesystems (i.e., data sources) that contain internal data 30

[0141] Generating a document that can be passed as input to any of thesystems (i.e., data sources) that contain external data 32

[0142] Generating output in a format suitable for direct input to any ofthe systems (i.e., data sources) that contain internal data 30

[0143] Generating output in a format suitable for direct input to any ofthe systems (i.e., data sources) that contain external data 32, or

[0144] Thus, in accordance with the present invention alerts enable theuser to monitor vast amounts of information by identifying conditionsfor which they choose to be alerted. Such conditions may range acrossany data of data mart 74.

[0145] In accordance with the present invention, alerts may have thefollowing general form:

[0146] IF Condition THEN Action ELSE Action, where “Condition” is alogical expression that includes variables, values for such variablesand operators, where “Variable” may be any of the data points containedin data mart 74, which originated from internal data sources 30 and/orexternal data sources 32. Operators may include any of the following: <,<=, >, >=, =, contains, start-with, ends-with, not equal functions, orlogical operators (AND, OR, NOT).

[0147] An example of such a rule in English prose is:

[0148] IF (Contract_Price_of_Part_(—)0023>=Market_Price_of_Part_(—)0023) AND (Forecast of_Part_(—)0023>=Inventory_of_Part_(—)0023) THEN Generate a purchase order forPurchasing Inventory_of_Part_(—)0023 at Market_Price_of_Part_(—)0023from the offering marketplace

[0149] It should be noted that in accordance with the present inventionan alert may be either an individual such rule, or sets of such rulesthat are meant to be computed and evaluated as a group. Moreover, whenan alert is comprised of more than one rule, it is possible that apartial or complete ordering of such rules is possible, thus specifyingprecedence among multiple rules with respect to which rule is moreimportant or should be invoked first in case of conflict. For example,if rules share the same “IF” condition but different “THEN” actions, itis possible to specify, which rule ought to take precedence if the“THEN” actions of the respective rules are in conflict.

[0150] It should also be noted that in accordance with the presentinvention any such action or sets of actions may be executedautomatically or after a user's approval, or after approval of a subsetof such actions. Furthermore the user might modify and/or enhance theaction that the alert has triggered. Thus, alerts enable the user tomonitor vast amounts of information by identifying conditions for whichthey choose to be alerted. Such conditions may range across any data ofdata mart 74.

[0151] It should be further noted that in accordance with the presentinvention alerts may be owned by either a single user, a class of users,or any arbitrary group of users. “Ownership” in this case refers to theability to specify an alert, access the specification of an alert,modify the specification of an alert, share the alert of thespecification with another user or plurality of users, or be thebeneficiary of an alert (i.e., being the destination of the action thatthe alert caused).

[0152] Accordingly, alerts preferably reduce the latency period indecision-making by informing users of key events, such as componentshortages, price shifts, supplier problems, and schedule changes inorder to allow synchronization of component procurement and operationsand inventory cost reduction. For example, when a production schedulechanges for a particular model of a product, the change shows up as analert to the user of VCI system 28. The user may choose to be notifiedof the model and with it the BOM for that particular model. Once thealert is triggered, a module, such as the component shortage module,flags the components for the model, and either refers to alternatesuppliers or refers to alternate equivalent components. Users may alsolook at procurement lead-time for that model to determine whether theschedule change can be resolved by procuring from the same supplier,and/or procuring from a different supplier, and/or procuring analternate component.

[0153] Strategic component identification module: This module preferablyprovides the user with the ability to identify which components arestrategic and which components are tactical, helping the user focus onthe most critical components. Strategic components are important to theoperations and end product of an enterprise, whereas tactical componentsare less critical, easier to replace, and often not customized. Thestrategic component identification module creates a ‘criticality rating’based on a predetermined scale, such as 1 to 10 or 1 to 100, which isderived from a plurality of variables, which may include any of thefollowing:

[0154] Total spent on the part

[0155] Number of parts purchased

[0156] Cost per part

[0157] Revenue and profit impact of the part

[0158] BOM analysis to determine which products would be affected by ashortage of this part and how much revenue would be affected by such ashortage

[0159] Impact of the part as a percentage of total revenue

[0160] Impact of the part as a hard dollar opportunity cost per day

[0161] Length of lead time, wherein longer lead times imply highercriticality rating

[0162] Number of times the part stocked out over a predetermined periodof time (e.g., one month, one quarter, one year, etc.)

[0163] Price volatility

[0164] Parts that are on allocation from the manufacturer and/orsupplier

[0165] Rate of depreciation for the part

[0166] The module preferably generates reports showing each of thevariables by part or component (e.g. total spent in part class, cost perindividual part, rate of depreciation per part, revenue impact per part,etc.). After all of the parts have been rated, the module thenpreferably allows users to select which parts to consider strategic andwhich tactical by defining a criticality rating threshold for eachcategory. The selected parts are saved and used in subsequent analyses.Users then define different weights for each variable in the formula,thus customizing the formula.

[0167] Price forecasting module: This module preferably provides theuser with recommendations for purchasing items from electronic marketsby evaluating electronic market prices in real time depending on aplurality of enterprise-specific conditions, such as contract pricingfor similar goods or the cost of carrying an inventory of the particularsupply. The price forecasting module also enables the user to identifyprice thresholds based on pre-defined criteria, permitting the user toroutinely troll electronic markets for potential opportunities, such asrealizing savings based on purchasing additional parts from electronicmarkets, realizing savings based on selling excess inventory toelectronic markets, etc. Moreover, this module allows the user to definea price and calculate optimized buying strategies based on input data.

[0168] Shortage risk management module: This module preferably enablesthe user to identify components that are shortage risks. The shortagerisk management module highlights those components that have high-riskcharacteristics, suggesting ways to reduce the risk, and identifying‘stock out’ warnings before the inventories reach that level. Thismodule defines strategies for reducing risk, analyzes which parts havethe largest forecast errors, analyzes where to use the allocated parts,finds additional sources for a part low in inventory, and generatesalerts regarding this data. The shortage risk management module allowsthe user to focus on components with the highest risk levels or bestcost savings opportunities within a BOM.

[0169] BOM optimization module: This module preferably identifiescritical components in a BOM by evaluating price relative to the totalBOM cost, current inventory levels, published EOL dates, length of leadtime, frequency of the part in stock being out, etc. The BOMoptimization module also allows the user to optimize the BOM for cost,delivery, quality, etc., by suggesting alternative components for thecritical components in the BOM that have improved aforementionedcharacteristics. In addition, the BOM optimization module can enable theuser to optimize components selected to be part of the BOM of a newproduct.

[0170] Supplier allocation module: This module preferably identifies andcalculates the percentage of a business that should be allocated to eachsupplier. The supply allocation module provides the user with internalsupplier ratings on quality, delivery, price, service, technology, etc.,allowing the user to skew the ratings data as necessary. This moduleenables the user to identify the appropriate allocation to each supplierfor each part depending on one or a prioritized combination of theaforementioned criteria. For example, a procurement organization willoften need to allocate the purchase quantity across a set of suppliers.The supplier allocation module determines the optimal allocation ofparts ordered across a set of suppliers based on criteria specified bybuyers. Such criteria, for instance, may include: meeting contractualagreements; awarding the largest allocation to the supplier with thebest performance rating; awarding a supplier based on qualityperformance or strategic technological importance; minimizing deliveryrisks; minimizing costs; etc. Moreover, different departments, such as afinance department, may also implement the supplier allocation module todetermine the allocation of parts to maximize gross margin and/orrevenues. Accordingly, this module addresses a plurality of constraintsthat affect the results of production schedules, desired inventorylevels, contractual agreement or pre-set allocation, supplier'savailability and costs, etc. In deriving an optimal solution, supplierallocation module uses data retrieved from enterprise databases (such asMRP systems 56), vendor databases, or marketplace databases to determinesupplier ratings. In an alternate preferred embodiment, this module alsoaccesses data entered by users or estimated by the application itself.For example, an overall performance rating may be determined bycalculating a total score based on the weights of a plurality ofperformance ratings, such as technology, quality, delivery, cost, etc.Thus, ratings can be used to determine allocation quantities for eachsupplier, depending on any combination and ordering of theaforementioned criteria.

[0171] Inventory level optimization module: This module preferablyoptimizes inventory levels based on a comprehensive analysis ofservice-level requirements, inventory holding costs, warehouseconstraints, etc. The inventory level optimization module determinesoptimal inventory levels considering service levels, inventory holdingcosts, warehouse constraints, etc., providing optimization analyticsthat identify a plurality of factors, such as unbalanced inventorylevels for parts based on revenue impact of stock out risks. For eachservice level, this module shows inventory holding costs and revenueimpact of stocking out of the product.

[0172] Sell excess inventory module: This module preferably identifiesopportunities to sell excess inventories by evaluating current inventorylevels, demand forecasts, spot market prices, etc. and identifyingincipient surpluses based on trend analysis, predictive modeling, etc.In particular, situations where e-marketplace prices for componentscarried by the enterprise might present opportunities to sell excessinventory.

[0173] Component risk mitigation module: This module preferablyidentifies the critical components, calculates the cost of expediting orholding them in excess inventory, and determines the financial impact ofvarious magnitudes of production change. The component risk mitigationmodule provides a means of mitigating when a supplier's inability tomeet delivery commitments or unexpected changes in production volume(increase or decrease) lead to component shortage or excess.

[0174] Enterprise collaboration module: This module preferably providesthe user with the capability of sharing information and collaborating onprocurement activities with other users of VCI systems. The enterprisecollaboration module allows users, such as product designers andprocurement professionals, to share data and access to data, thusenabling them to collaborate on projects. For example, projects mayinclude identifying alternative components with improved sourcingcharacteristics or alternative components with characteristics thatresult in greater optimal BOM characteristics.

[0175] It should be understood that, in accordance with the variousalternative embodiments of the present invention, various modules 1-N106 and combinations of modules 1-N 106 may be implemented and used in amanner to provide a desirable set of tools for the particular user andparticular problem/task.

[0176] In accordance with the present invention, product layer 88preferably is comprised of a combination of one or more modules 1-N 106in module layer 86. Product layer 88 integrates functionalities byproviding modules 1-N 106 in bundled combinations (i.e., procurementproduct 108, supplier product 110, designer product 112, etc.) to usersas product offerings. For example, procurement product 108 addressestactical problems in the supply chain by providing discovery, analysis,recommendation, and execution services on component availability,supplier performance, component prices, delivery history, etc. Thus, inan exemplary embodiment procurement 108 may include data discoverymodule, data alert module, strategic component identification module,and price forecasting module. The functionalities and services ofbundled modules 1-N 106 are accessed via the user interface (asdescribed in more detail below). Although a user may choose which moduleto use and decide on the input, VCI system 28 may proactively invoke oneor more modules from module layer 86, with specific input andaccordingly call the user's attention to the performance of a task withthat module or modules.

[0177]FIG. 6 is a high-level diagram illustrating preferred embodimentsof the hardware and software components of VCI system 28. VCI system 28preferably consists of four functional component blocks: internal datacollection components 114, external data collection components 116, dataintegration components 118, and data application components 120. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, internal data collection components 114 of VCIsystem 28 preferably consist of an internal data sources 122-126,extract modules 128-136, transform modules 138-146, and connectors148-150. Internal data collection components 114 preferably areimplemented at the customer's site, and extract and transform internaldata 30 from a plurality of internal data sources, such as contractdatabases 46, ERP systems 54, SCM systems 56, etc. (as illustrated inFIG. 3A). Internal data collection components 114 are preferablyimplemented at the client's site and accordingly are coupled to anetwork, such as WAN, LAN, Internet, etc. In accordance with the presentinvention, the Internet connection may consist of a dial-up connection,private line, VPN, DSL, ISDN, T-1, etc.

[0178] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, external data collection components 116 of VCI system 28preferably consist of a plurality of external data sources 152-56,website sources 158-162, extract modules 164-174, and transform modules176-186; the components of external data collection 116 preferablyextract and transform external data 32 from a plurality of external datasources, such as product databases 64, online marketplaces 68,subscription sources 70, etc. (as illustrated in FIG. 3B). External datacollection components 116 may be implemented at the client's site orhosted, depending on system requirements and customer needs.

[0179] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, internal data collection components 114 and external datacollection components 116 perform the extract and transform functions ofthe ETL process respectively. The extraction process of internal datacollection components 114 and external data collection components 116preferably is initiated by load module 188, by one of the extractmodules (i.e., extract modules 128-136 or extract modules 164-174), orat the data source (i.e., internal data sources 122-126, external datasources 152-156, or website sources 158-162). For instance, in anexemplary embodiment, Customer Oracle ERP 126 of internal datacollection components 114 may initiate the process of calling forinternal data 30, or Oracle ERP extract module-1 134 may initiate thisprocess, or load module 188 in external data collection components 114may initiate this process. Likewise, in another exemplary embodiment,subscription database 152 may initiate the process of calling forexternal data 32, or subscription extract module-1 164 may initiate thisprocess, or load module 188 may initiate this process. It should benoted that, in accordance with preferred embodiments, load module 188along with the extract and transform modules in internal data collectioncomponents 114 and external data collection components 116 preferablyfunction as integrated ETL tools.

[0180] Since the data must be mapped before it can be extracted by theextract and transform modules, a transformation has to be defined in thetransform module for all data from each data source. As is known in theart, transformation is the process of mapping data from source objectsonto target objects and optionally applying conversions to the data.After the transformations have been defined, then scripts are generated,which perform the function of converting and loading data into targetobjects at run time when so requested. Thus, a transform module, such astransform module 176, generates the scripts that perform the actualloading at run time. Nevertheless, load module 188 manages the processof loading by invoking the necessary scripts.

[0181] As further illustrated in FIG. 6, data integration components 118consist of load module 188, database API 189, ETL metadata database 190,discovery database 192, analysis database 194, purge/archive module 196,OLAP server 198, and OLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200. Data integrationcomponents 118 provide the functionality of a load module and integrateddata mart, whereby normalized data is loaded from a plurality of sourcesat different times and in different formats, and organized so that it issuitable for complex querying and analysis. Internal data 30 andexternal data 32 are placed in data integration components 118 in orderto build applications for an integrated repository, such as a data mart.Load module 188 manages the process of loading, updating, and rebuildingdiscovery database 192 and analysis database 194. Both discoverydatabase 192 and analysis database 194 are types of relationaldatabases. The loading process triggers events in the OLAP server 198that rebuilds OLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200. (OLAP refers to On-lineAnalytic Processing, which one of skill in the art will appreciate is aform of a multi-dimensional database.) OLAP server 198 conductsmulti-dimensional queries and pivot table services through the use ofOLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200, which preferably perform data aggregationon top of analysis database 194. Purge/archive module 196 manages thedatabases, so that data may be archived and purged as necessary. ETLmetadata database 190 is an operational RDBMS that stores adapter andother information that is used and required by load module 188.

[0182] In accordance with the present invention, once the normalizeddata is written into discovery database 192 and analysis database 194,then the data is transmitted from analysis database 194, OLAP server198, and OLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200 to data application components 120.In response to direct user requests or in order to process data that areneeded to satisfy user requests, applications, such as modules, inservices and application server 120 query analysis database 194 and OLAPdatabase in data application components 120.

[0183] Data application components 120 consist of services andapplication server 202, report server 204, user metadata database 206,VCI user interface 208, and OLAP report client 210. All of thecomponents in data application components 120, except for VCI userinterface 208, may be hosted at the customer's site or at a centrallocation remote from the customer's site. VCI user interface 208 ispreferably viewed at the customer's site via a web browser. Services andapplication server 202 provides a plurality of functions based on theintegrated services of foundation layer 84 and module layer 86 (asdescribed in connection with FIG. 5). The functions of services andapplication server 202 and its constituent components (i.e., coreservices 90, foundation services 92, and modules 1-N 106) depend uponthe integration of internal data 30 and external data 32, which isstored in discovery database 192 and analysis database 194, andsimultaneously made available for analysis by OLAP analysis server 198.Services and application server 202 preferably transmits the integrateddata to VCI user interface 208, which displays it in a plurality offormats based on user-defined inputs. In addition, VCI user interface208 preferably represents the integrated data within the context of theworkflow process described in FIG. 4. User metadata database 206preferably is an operational relational database that contains metadataabout the users and their access to VCI services and functions

[0184] Services and application server 202 provides a plurality offunctions based on the integrated services of foundation layer 84 andmodule layer 86 (as previously described in connection with FIG. 5).Services and application server 202 consists of application server 212,core services 90, foundation services 92, and modules 1-N 106.

[0185] Report server 204 receives analyzed data from analysis database194 and OLAP server 198, and presents reports about the integrated datato the user via the web browser of VCI user interface 208. Data may bereported to the user in a plurality of report formats and methods (whichare further described below).

[0186] Thus, in accordance with the present invention, internal data 30is collected in internal data collection components 114, while externaldata 32 is simultaneously collected in external collection components116. Both internal data 30 and external data 32 are normalized andtransmitted to data integration components 118, where the aggregateddata is stored into discovery database 192 and analysis database 194,and analyzed in OLAP server 198. The stored data is made available toservices and application server 202 in data application components 120.Services and applications server 202 provides a plurality of functionalapplications that make decisions about VCI services, such as inventorylevels, demand forecasts, contract commitments, spot market analysis,etc., based on the integration of internal data 30 and external data 32.Services and applications server 202 then sends the resulting data tothe end user via VCI user interface 208. VCI user interface 208 displaysthe integrated data, facilitating the user in making strategic andtactical decisions.

[0187]FIG. 7A is an architectural diagram illustrating preferredembodiments of the internal data collection components 114 of exemplaryVCI system 28. Internal data collection components 114 extract andtransform internal data 30, such as contract terms, parts catalogs, JITreports, supplier ratings, production schedules, etc., from a pluralityof sources, such as custom customer databases, ERP systems, etc.Internal data collection components 114 preferably reside on thecustomer's system and are connected to the other components of VCIsystem 28 via network connections, such as dial-up connections, privatelines, DSL, ISDN, T-1, etc. Thus, internal data 30 is preferablyaccessed across a network. Customer custom database 122 preferably isone or a plurality of relational database management systems (RDBMS)(e.g., Oracle 9 i Database, Microsoft SQL Server, Informix Cloudscape,Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise 12.0, etc.), whereas customer SAP ERP124 and customer Oracle ERP 126, preferably are third party enterprisesystems (e.g., Oracle e-business suite, SAP, J D Edwards Oneworld, BAANERP Purchasing, etc.), which may include ERP, SCM, MRP, etc. Internaldata collection components 114 of VCI system 28 perform data extractionand transformation functions associated with ETL tools at apredetermined period of time, such as every 12 hours, 24 hours, etc.,via one or a plurality of custom modules for data extraction andtransformation. The extract and transform functions of internalcollection components 114 are preferably located at the customer siteand separated into one or a plurality of extract modules and one or aplurality of transform modules; the extract and transform modulesrespond to requests that may originate from the load module, the extractmodule, or the source (i.e., customer custom database 122, customer SAPERP 124, customer Oracle ERP 126, etc.) (as further described inconnection with FIG. 7C). It should be noted that internal collectioncomponents 114 may also be hosted at a central location remote from thecustomer's site.

[0188] In accordance with the present invention, customer customdatabase 122 contains a predetermined subset of internal data 30 fromone source or a plurality of sources, such as suppliers' databases 42,contract databases 44, product quality databases 46, ERP system 52, etc.(as illustrated in FIG. 3A). It should be noted that in accordance withthe present invention that customer custom database 122 representsgenerically any customer custom database, each of which is suitable forsupplier data, contract data, product quality data, etc. Accordingly,the process of calling for internal data 30 is preferably initiated byload module 188, custom extract module 128, or custom customer database122. For example, load module 188 may initiate a request to call asubset of internal data 30 from customer custom database 122 bytransmitting a command to generate a request from custom extract module128 via a network connection. Custom extract module 128 then sends therequest to extract internal data 30 from customer custom database 122,which preferably responds to the request by sending a message containingthe requested internal data to custom transform module 138. Customtransform module 138 aggregates internal data 30 and performscalculations on it to normalize the data into a format compatible withthe schema in discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 in dataintegration components 118. Since internal data 30 may come from aplurality of sources, internal data 30 must be normalized to conform tothe specific database schema in discovery database 192 and analysisdatabase 194. Once internal data 30 is normalized by custom transformmodule 138, then the data-set is transmitted via load module 188 todiscovery database 192 and analysis database 194. It is important tonote that internal data 30 may be extracted simultaneously from aplurality of database sources and not just from a single customer customdatabase.

[0189] With reference to FIG. 7A, in accordance with the presentinvention, customer SAP ERP 124 contains a subset of internal data 30,such as from ERP systems 52 (as illustrated in FIG. 3A). Accordingly,the process of calling for internal data 30 is preferably initiated byload module 188, SAP extract module-1 130, or customer SAP ERP 124. Forinstance, SAP extract module-1 130 preferably initiates the request fora subset of internal data 30 by transmitting a request for data tocustomer SAP ERP 124. In order for SAP extract module-1 130 to requestand receive internal data 30 in a compatible format from customer SAPERP 124, SAP extract module-1 130 must access a standard BusinessApplication Programming Interface (BAPI) on customer SAP ERP 124. Thus,SAP extract module-1 130 generates BAPI Java function calls to extractJava objects and sends requests to SAP business connector 148,preferably a platform-independent BAPI (i.e., TIBCO, Webmethods, Acta,Mercator, Neon, etc.), to extract specified internal data 30 fromcustomer SAP ERP 124. SAP business connector 148 converts Java requeststo BAPI calls to access customer SAP ERP 124. Customer SAP ERP 124preferably responds by sending one or a plurality of messages containinginternal data 30 to SAP Business Connector 148, which converts BAPIcalls back into Java objects and sends internal data 30 formatted asJava objects to transform module-1 140. Transform module-1 140 thenpreferably aggregates and normalizes the Java-formatted data, so thatthe extracted internal data 30 conform to the specific schema indiscovery database 192 and analysis database 194 in data integrationcomponents 118. Once the Java objects containing internal data 30 arenormalized by transform module-1 140, they are sent to discoverydatabase 192 and analysis database 194 via load module 188.

[0190] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, a request for a subset of internal data 30 formatted ineXtensible Markup Language (XML) may also be initiated by load module188, customer SAP ERP 124, or SAP extract module-N 132 from customer SAPERP 124. For example, load module 188 may transmit a command to generatea request from SAP extract module-N 132 via a network connection. Inorder for SAP extract module-N 132 to request and receive internal data30 in XML from customer SAP ERP 124, SAP extract module-N 132 mustaccess business connector 148 on customer SAP 124. SAP extract module-N132 preferably generates and transmits one or a plurality of requests toSAP business connector 148 to extract specified internal data 30formatted in XML from customer SAP ERP 124. SAP business connector 148converts XML requests to BAPI calls to access customer SAP 124. CustomerSAP ERP 124 preferably responds by sending one or a plurality ofmessages containing internal data 30 to SAP business connector 148,which converts BAPI calls back to XML documents and sends them totransform module-N 142. Transform module-N 142 aggregates and normalizesthe XML-formatted data, so that extracted internal data 30 conforms to aformat compatible with the schema in discovery database 192 and analysisdatabase 194 in data integration components 118. Accordingly, after theXML documents containing internal data 30 are normalized by transformmodule-N 142, the XML documents containing internal data 30 are sent todiscovery database 192 and analysis database 194 in via module 188.

[0191] As further illustrated in FIG. 7A, in accordance with the presentinvention, customer Oracle ERP 126 contains a subset of internal data30, such as data from ERP system 52 (as illustrated in FIG. 3A).Accordingly, the process of calling for internal data 30 is againpreferably initiated by load module 188, Oracle ERP extract module-1134, or customer Oracle ERP 126. For example, Oracle ERP extractmodule-1 134 may initiate the process by sending a request for a subsetof internal data 30 to customer Oracle ERP 126. In order for Oracle ERPextract module-1 134 to request and receive internal data 30 in acompatible format from customer Oracle ERP 126, Oracle ERP extractmodule-1 134 must extract data via PL/SQL calls from Oracle advancedqueue tables 150, which maintain the messaging and queuing system foraccess and data extraction from Oracle ERP 126. Thus, Oracle ERP extractmodule-1 134 makes requests via PL/SQL calls to Oracle advanced queuetables 150 to extract specified internal data 30 from customer OracleERP 126. Oracle advanced queue tables 150 processes PL/SQL calls, thenpulls internal data 30 from Oracle ERP 126. Oracle ERP extract module-1134 then retrieves updated internal data 30 in XML format from Oracleadvanced queue tables 150. Oracle ERP extract module-1 134 then sendsinternal data 30 formatted as XML documents to transform module-1 144,which preferably aggregates and normalizes the XML-formatted data, sothat extracted internal data 30 conforms to the specific schema indiscovery database 192 and analysis database 194. Once the XML documentscontaining internal data 30 are normalized by transform module-1 144,they are sent to discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 viaload module 188.

[0192] In accordance with the present invention, the process of callingfor internal data 30 is again preferably initiated by load module 188,Oracle ERP extract module-N 136, or customer Oracle ERP 126. Forinstance, load module 188 may initiate a request to call a subset ofinternal data 30 as Java objects from customer Oracle ERP 126 by sendinga command to generate a request from Oracle ERP extract module-N 136 viaa network connection. In order for Oracle ERP extract module-N 136 torequest and receive internal data 30 in a compatible format fromcustomer Oracle ERP 126, Oracle ERP extract module-N 136 must extractdata via a Java Messaging System (JMS) compliant bus, such as OracleMessage Broker, Sierra Atlantic framework, etc., from Oracle advancedqueue tables 150. Thus, Oracle ERP extract module-N 136 makes requestsvia JMS calls to Oracle advanced queue tables 150 to extract specifiedinternal data 30 from customer Oracle ERP 126. Oracle advanced queuetables 150 issues JMS calls, then pull internal data 30 from Oracle ERP126. Oracle ERP extract module-N 136 then retrieves internal data 30 inJava format from Oracle advanced queue tables 150. Oracle ERP extractmodule-N 136 then sends internal data 30 formatted as Java objects totransform module-N 146, which preferably aggregates and normalizes theJava-formatted data, so that extracted internal data 30 conforms to thespecific schema in discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 indata integration components 118. Again, after the XML documentscontaining internal data 30 are normalized by transform module-N 146,they are sent to discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 viaload module 188.

[0193] It should be noted that requests for internal data 30 may beinitiated independently and simultaneously from a plurality of sources.For example, customer custom database 122 may begin the process ofcalling for a subset of internal data 30, while SAP extract module-1 130may have already begun the process of calling for a subset of internaldata 30 from customer SAP ERP 124 and load module 144 may also havealready begun calling for a subset of internal data 30 from customerOracle ERP 126. Thus, the process of requesting internal data 30 fromany of the data sources that provide them, such as suppliers database42, contracts database 44, product quality database 46, internal partsdatabase 48, data mart 50, ERP systems 52, SCM systems 54, MRP systems56, CRM systems 58, etc., is preferably initiated independently and/orsimultaneously from a plurality of sources.

[0194] In accordance with the present invention, extract modules 128-136preferably generate requests from ERP systems, such as customer SAP ERP124 and customer Oracle ERP 126, which accordingly respond with amessage or plurality of messages containing internal data 30 formattedas either an XML document, Java objects, or some other format.Therefore, extract modules can make calls to extract data in a varietyof formats, depending on source and system requirements. Accordingly,internal data 30 preferably is received by transform modules as eitherstreaming data or in a single query/response.

[0195] Since internal data collection components 114 have been describedin conjunction with specific preferred and other embodiments, manysubstitutions, alternatives and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. For example, data sources for internal data 30include more than ERP systems, such as SCM systems 54, MRP systems 56,CRM systems 58 etc. Accordingly, the type of business connector as wellas the extract and transform modules for such data sources will changedepending on the type and format of the data. In addition, for example,data sources for internal data 30 include all kinds of customer customdatabases, such as suppliers' databases 42, contracts databases 44,product quality databases 46, internal parts databases 48, data marts50, etc. Thus, the invention is intended to embrace all of thealternatives and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

[0196]FIG. 7B is an architectural diagram illustrating preferredembodiments of the external data collection components 116 of exemplaryVCI system 28. External data collection components 116 search, extractand transform external data (i.e., part catalogs, prices, availability,lead time, compatible parts, specifications, etc.) from a plurality ofsources of external data 32, such as databases and Internet sources.External data 32 may be received across a network similar to howinternal data 30 is received, but external data 32 may also be receivedin a plurality of other formats, such as via CD-ROM, ZIP disk, floppydisk, catalog (in hard copy), brochure (in hard copy), etc. Databases,such as subscription database 152, product database 154, and marketplacedatabase 156, preferably contain external data 32 from one source or aplurality of sources. External data sources, such as Internet sources158-162, preferably contain external data 32, which may be extractedfrom one or a plurality of web sites, depending upon data requirementsand user requests. External data collection components 116 of VCI system28 is comprised of a plurality of Internet sources 158-162, subscriptiondatabase 152, product database 154, marketplace database 156, aplurality of extract modules 164-174, and a plurality of transformmodules 176-186.

[0197] In accordance with the present invention, subscription database152 is preferably a database containing subscription news andinformation (i.e., supplier ratings, news bulletins, market reports,etc.). News stories from subscription database 152 or from Internetsource 158 are preferably organized according to a product hierarchy,such as electronic components/memory/SDRAM.

[0198] In accordance with the present invention, product database 154 ispreferably a partner database containing product information (such as aproduct catalogs, specifications, wholesale prices, etc.). For example,external data 32 from product database 154 may include a hierarchy ofproduct categories, detailed part numbers for each product in a productfamily or category, detailed lists of attributes (i.e., specifications)and values for attributes for each product in a product family orcategory, etc. Such specifications are generally based on publishedinformation. The providers of the product databases frequently provideupgrades and downgrades for each part, end-of-life (EOL) informationabout which parts will be discontinued, part equivalence informationabout how a product can be replaced, etc. VCI system 28 preferablyenhances the equivalence information when necessary.

[0199] In accordance with the present invention, marketplace database156 is preferably a database for a public exchange or auction containingproduct and market information (i.e., parts, manufacturer, compatibleparts, prices, availability, etc.), or a partner with a database for aprivate exchange or online marketplace containing product and marketinformation. For example, external data 32 from market database 156 mayinclude electronic market prices from a private exchange with pricesthat are different than the previously negotiated contract prices madeby an enterprise customer of a VCI system for a compatible product froma supplier.

[0200] Preferably external data collection components 116 performconventional data extraction and transformation functions associatedwith ETL tools at predetermined periods of time, such as every 12 hours,or at required intervals, depending upon information needs and userrequests, via one or a plurality of custom modules for data extractionand transformation, such as subscription extract module-1 164, transformmodule 176, subscription extract module-N 166, etc. The extract andtransform functions of external data collection components 116 arepreferably separated into one or a plurality of extract modules and oneor a plurality of transform modules; the extract and transform modulesrespond to requests that may originate from the load module, the extractmodule, or the source (i.e., subscription database 152, Internet source158, product database 154, etc.) (as further described in connectionwith FIG. 7C). It should be noted again that external data sources arenot necessarily databases, and thus internal data 30 may be encoded inany format suitable for representing structured or semi-structured data,such as flat files (CSV, etc.), spreadsheets, etc.

[0201] In accordance with the present invention, subscription database152 is a database containing subscription news and information.Preferably the process of calling for a predetermined subset of externaldata 32 is accordingly initiated by load module 188, subscriptionextract module-1 164, or subscription database 152. For example, loadmodule 188 may initiate a request to call a subset of external data 32from subscription database 152 by transmitting a command to generate arequest to subscription extract module-1 164 via an Internet connection,which may be a dial-up connection, private line, DSL, ISDN, T-1, etc.Subscription extract module-1 164 transmits the request to extract asubset of external data 32 (preferably formatted in either XML, Java,SQL, etc.) to subscription database 152, which preferably responds bysending a message containing the requested external data 32 to transformmodule 176. Transform module 176 aggregates external data 32 andperforms calculations on it to transform the data into the specificschema of discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 in dataintegration components 118. After external data 32 is normalized bytransform module 176, then transform module 176 sends external data 32to discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 via load module 188.

[0202] With reference to FIG. 7B, in accordance with the presentinvention, product database 154 is a partner database containing productinformation. Preferably the process of calling for external data 32 isaccordingly initiated by load module 188, product extract module-1 168,or product database 154. For example, product database 154 preferablyinitiates the request for a subset of external data 32 by transmitting amessage containing external data 32 to transform module 180. Transformmodule 180 then aggregates external data 32 and performs calculations onit to transform the data into the specific schema of discovery database192 and analysis database 194 in data integration components 118. Onceexternal data 32 is normalized by transform module 180, then transformmodule 180 sends external data 32 to discovery database 192 and analysisdatabase 194 via load module 188.

[0203] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, marketplace database 156 is a database for a public exchangeor auction containing product and market information. Preferably theprocess of calling for external data 32 is accordingly initiated by loadmodule 188, market extract module-1 172, or market database 156. Forexample, market extract module-1 172 preferably initiates the requestfor a subset of external data 32 by transmitting a request to extractexternal data 32 (preferably formatted in either XML, Java, BAPI, SQL,etc.) to marketplace database 156. Marketplace database 156 preferablyresponds to the request by sending a message containing the requestedexternal data 32 to transform module 184. Transform module 184aggregates external data 32 and performs calculations on it to transformthe data into the specific schema of discovery database 192 and analysisdatabase 194. After external data 32 is normalized by transform module184, then transform module 184 sends external data 32 to discoverydatabase 192 and analysis database 194 via load module 188.

[0204] As further illustrated in FIG. 7B, in accordance with the presentinvention, VCI system 28 preferably implements a web extractionapplication, which may be used to search and extract HTML, XML, otherweb page formatting data from web pages to access external data 32 inreal time. Internet sources 158-162 preferably consist of a plurality ofweb sites that contain a plurality of external data 32, such asspecifications, part descriptions, product reviews, news, reports, etc.,and serve as sources for searching and extracting non-proprietary data.Extract modules 166, 170 and 174 of external data collection components116 may be located at the data source or on a server of VCI system 28.Moreover, extract modules 166, 170 and 174 may be either third partyextraction tools or custom extraction tools.

[0205] In accordance with the present invention, the process of callingfor external data 32 is preferably initiated by load module 188,subscription extract module-N 166, or market database 156. Load module188 of data integration components 118 preferably initiates a request toextract external data 32 from Internet source 138, which may besubscription and non-subscription news and information sources, etc., bysending a command to extract module-2 204 coupled to Internet connection203. Extract module-2 204, which may be a third party or customextraction application, searches Internet source 138 via Internetconnection 203 and extracts a plurality of external data 32, which maybe available in a variety of formats, such as HTML, XML, PDF, etc.Extract module-2 204 preferably transmits external data 32 to transformmodule 205, which aggregates external data 32 and performs calculationson it to transform the data into the specific schema of discoverydatabase 192 and analysis database 194. Once external data 32 isnormalized by transform module 205, then transform module 205 sendsexternal data 32 to discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 viaload module 188.

[0206] As further illustrated in FIG. 7B, in accordance with the presentinvention, load module 188 preferably initiates a request to extractexternal data 32 from Internet source 140, which may be productinformation, specifications, news, etc., by sending a command to extractmodule-2 212 coupled to Internet connection 211. Extract module-2 212,which may be a third party or custom extraction application, searchesInternet source 138 via Internet connection 211 and extracts a pluralityof external data 32 which may be available in a variety of formats, suchas HTML, XML, PDF, etc. Extract module-2 212 preferably sends externaldata 32 to transform module 213, which aggregates external data 32, sothat extracted external data 32 conforms to a format compatible with theschema in discovery database 192 and analysis database 194 in dataintegration components 118. Once external data 32 is normalized bytransform module 213, then transform module 213 sends external data 32,which may have been originally formatted in HTML, XML, PDF, etc., toload module 188 in data extraction components 116.

[0207] In accordance with the present invention, load module 188preferably initiates a request to extract external data 32 from Internetsource 142, which may be market information, prices, specifications,lead times, etc., by sending a command to extract module-2 220 coupledto Internet connection 219. Extract module-2 220, which may be a thirdparty or custom extraction application, searches Internet source 142 viaInternet connection 219 and extracts a plurality of external data 32which may be available in a variety of formats, such as HTML, XML, PDF,etc. Extract module-2 220 preferably sends external data 32 to transformmodule 221, which aggregates external data 32, so that extractedexternal data 32 conforms to a format compatible with the schema indiscovery database 192 and analysis database 194 in data integrationcomponents 118. Once external data 32 is normalized by transform module221, then transform module 221 sends external data 32, which may havebeen originally formatted in HTML, XML, PDF, etc., to load module 188 indata extraction components 116.

[0208] It is important to note that external data 32 may be extractedsimultaneously from a plurality of databases, i.e., subscriptiondatabase 132, product database 134, and marketplace database 136. Thus,load module 188 preferably initiates requests to call external data 32simultaneously from a plurality of sources by generating a plurality ofrequests from specified extract modules, such as subscription extractmodule-1 198, subscription extract module-204, product extract module-1206, etc. Moreover, extract modules generate requests for external data32, which may be formatted in XML, Java, BAPI, SQL, etc., which in turnrespond with messages containing external data 32 in any of theaforementioned formats. For example, a request is made in Java and thereturned results may be in XML.

[0209] In addition, external data 32 is preferably received by transformmodules 176-186 as either streaming data or in a single query/response.Therefore, external data 32 may take the form of batch updates orreal-time updates, depending on the nature of the request and response.

[0210] It is also important to note that in accordance with the presentinvention, the extract and transform functions of external dataextraction components 116 may preferably be implemented simultaneouslyor independently at one or a plurality of data sources. Thus, a subsetof external data 32 may be searched and extracted from a single datasource, whether a database or an Internet source, by more than oneextract module. For example, in a preferred embodiment, product extractmodule-1 206 may search for external data 32, such as product pricing,specifications, etc., at product database 134, while extract module-2212 is simultaneously searching the conjoining web site of productdatabase 134 for alternative external data 32, which may be not bepresent in product database 134. Moreover, external data 32 may besearched and extracted from multiple data sources simultaneously by morethan one extract module. For instance, product extract module-1 206 maysearch external data 32 from product database 134, while subscriptionextract module 1-198 is searching subscription database 132 for externaldata 32 and marketplace extract module-1 is extracting external data 32from marketplace database 136.

[0211] Since external data collection components 116 have been describedin conjunction with specific preferred and other embodiments, manysubstitutions, alternatives and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. For example, data sources for external data 32 mayinclude other databases and Internet sources, such as suppliers 60,electronic catalogs 64, news sources 70, etc. Additionally, data sourcesfor external data 32 may be in any format suitable for representingstructured or semi-structured data, such as flat files (CSV, etc.),spreadsheets, XML files, real time feed, etc. A similar ETL process asdescribed above is applied to external data 32 that are encoded in theaforementioned formats. Thus, the invention is intended to embrace allof the alternatives and variations that fall within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

[0212]FIG. 7C is an architectural diagram illustrating data integrationcomponents 118 of exemplary VCI system 28 in accordance with preferredembodiments of the present invention. As noted earlier, data integrationcomponents 118 provide the functionality of a load module, whichpreferably loads internal data 30 and external data 32 from a pluralityof sources, and an integrated data mart, which preferably stores thisdata for complex querying and analysis. Data integration components 118are comprised of load module 188, database APIs 189, ETL metadatadatabase 190, discovery database 192, analysis database 194,purge/archive module 196, OLAP analysis server 198, and OLAP analysiscubes 1-N 200. The primary load functions of data integration components118 are preferably handled by load module 188, whereas the primary datastorage and analysis functions of data integration components 118 arepreferably executed by discovery database 192, analysis database 194 andOLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200. It should be noted that internal data 30and external data 32 are placed in data integration components 118 inorder to build applications for module layer 86 and product layer 88.

[0213] As noted previously, load module 188 loads internal data 30 frominternal data collection components 114 and external data 32 fromexternal data collection components 116, and depending on the type ofdata, loads this data into discovery database 192 and analysis database194. Since it is loading data from multiple sources and multipledestinations, load module 188 must identify the appropriate destinationfor internal data 30 and external data 32. Load module 188 maps the datafrom a plurality of sources via transform modules to the proper databasestructures (tables, etc.) For example, XML data may transformed andstored in relational tables of analysis database 194. Furthermore, loadmodule 188 is coupled to a plurality of database APIs 189, whichcommunicate with discovery database 192 and analysis database 194.Extract and transform modules preferably generate code in a standarddatabase language, such as PL/SQL, etc., which calls the database API inorder to perform the task of loading. Loading can be executed in batch,in single sequence, in serial and in parallel from multiple sources.Moreover, load module 188 performs incremental and complete loading ofinternal data 30 and external data 32 in parallel. For example,incremental loading occurs when existing data are modified or when newdata are added; complete loading occurs when data are initially loadedinto the databases.

[0214] In accordance with the present invention, load module 188receives normalized internal data 30 from internal data collectioncomponents 114 and normalized external data 32 from external datacollection components 116, so that the normalized data conforms to thespecific schema in discovery data database 192 and analysis datadatabase 194. Load module 188 then preferably directs internal data 30and external data 32 to the appropriate destination based on the schemain discovery database 192 and analysis database 194. Load module 188processes the request and invokes the correct loader for the databasedepending on information in the data, and invokes the execution ofaction. Tables in load module 188 are used to examine data for the manyactions that it must take. Mapping data is stored in ETL metadatadatabase 190. Load module 188 determines when to put the data, where toput them, when to apply mappings, etc., and executes these actions inbatch, in single sequence, in serial, in parallel, etc.

[0215] It should be noted that data integration components 118 of VCIsystem 28 preferably include only one load module 188. The location ofthe data is defined in standard database language, such as PL/SQL, butin order to execute the process load module 188 must call database APIs189. Load module 188 preferably serves as a central location forcontrolling the loading and updating of a multitude of data in thedatabase, and thus separates the database design from the act ofloading. In other words, developers do not have to manage the data andthus be concerned with when and how to access data, but instead maysimply write to the API.

[0216] In accordance with the present invention, ETL metadata database190 is a RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) that stores aregistry of adapters and other data used and required by load module188. Metadata database 190, for example, assists in analyzing changes indatabase tables, tracking individual data elements, and building thedata mart.

[0217] In accordance with the present invention, discovery database 192and analysis database 194 are types of relational databases. Althoughboth internal data 30 and external data 32 may be loaded into discoverydatabase 192 and analysis database 194, the data preferably isdistributed between the two databases, depending on which data must beused for report generation and OLAP analysis. The data stored indiscovery database 192 is preferably mirrored in analysis database 194,and thus contains the same information but is aggregated and organizedin a different format. In other words, the source data is the same, butit is arranged in a different way and for different reasons. Preferablypartial replication of data occurs in discovery database 192.

[0218] Accordingly, discovery database 192, which as noted is arelational database system (such as Oracle 8 i, etc.), receives one copyof the data and makes them available for Online Transaction Processing(OLTP). Data in discovery database 192 is then accessed throughrelational queries. Analysis database 194 is also a relational databasesystem (such as Oracle 8 i, etc.), but is organized as an OLAP starschema database. The data is also accessed by relational queries. OLAPstar schema is a de-normalized schema more suitable for OLAP than OLTP.The data stored in analysis database 194 is also preferably mirrored indiscovery database 192 and contains the same information organizeddifferently. Like discovery database 192, the source data in analysisdatabase 194 is the same, but arranged in a different way and fordifferent reasons. As with discovery database 192, preferably partialreplication of data occurs in analysis database 194.

[0219] Purge/archive module 196 preferably manages discovery database192 and analysis database 194, so that data may be either stored in anarchive or purged from a database as necessary. For example, obsoletedata may be purged from database files after a pre-determined period oftime, such as two years; relevant data, on the other hand, may be storedand transferred to a separate archival database after a pre-determinedperiod of time.

[0220] In accordance with the present invention, the loading process ofload module 188 may trigger an event in one or a plurality of OLAPanalysis cubes 1-N 200 on OLAP server 198. OLAP server 198, such as MSOLAP Server, contains OLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200. The primaryfunctionality of OLAP server 198 is to conduct multi-dimensional queriesand pivot table services through the use of OLAP cubes. OLAP server 198queries OLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200 to generate OLAP reports. OLAPanalysis cubes 1-N 200 preferably consist of a plurality of OLAPanalysis cubes, with each cube defining the dimensions of specific setsof data and serving as a source for a plurality of different reportsacross the specified dimensions. For example, one module of modules 1-N106 (as described in connection with FIG. 5) may ask multi-dimensionalqueries or Pivot table services of OLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200. Inaccordance with the present invention, OLAP analysis cubes 1-N 200preferably perform data aggregation on top of analysis database 194 withpossible partial or complete data replication of the OLAP star schemadatabase.

[0221] Thus, internal data 30 and external data 32 have been integratedand loaded into a single repository, organized for both OLTP and OLAPdatabases, so that modules 1-N 106 can query the databases as necessaryfor data discovery, analysis, and report generation. After thenormalized data is written into discovery database 192 and analysisdatabase 194, then the data is made available to data applicationcomponents 120.

[0222] The functions of internal data collection components 114,external data collection components 116 and data integration components118 are decoupled from data application components 120. Thisarchitectural design provides several advantages. The decoupling of dataapplication components 120 from the other components facilitates thedeveloper in designing the software. For example, the developer does nothave to be concerned with the task of each component. From thedeveloper's point of view, the developer of data application components120 does not have to address where the data is coming from and how thedata is aggregated and normalized in order to be made available forrelational and multidimensional queries. Likewise, the developer of dataintegration components 118 does not have to address where and when thedata is going and how it is being used. With architectural designs thatrequire coupling, the developer must format complex queries to accessdata every time data is needed.

[0223]FIG. 7D is an architectural diagram illustrating a preferredembodiment of the data application components of an exemplary VCIsystem. Data application components 120 of VCI system 28 provide coreand enterprise-specific application services for VCI system 28; suchcomponents integrate and run algorithms based on integrated data fromdiscovery database 192, analysis database 194, and OLAP analysis cubes1-N 200. Data application components 120 consist of services andapplication server 202, report server 204, user metadata database 206,VCI user interface 208, and OLAP report client 162. All of thecomponents in data application components 120, except for VCI userinterface 208, may be implemented at either the customer's site or at acentral location remote from the customer's site. VCI user interface 208is preferably implemented via a web browser at the customer's site.Services and application server 202 provides a plurality of functionsbased on the integrated services of foundation layer 84 and module layer86 (as previously described in connection with FIG. 5). The functions ofservices and application server 202 depend upon the integration ofinternal data 30 and external data 32, which are stored in discoverydatabase 192 and analysis database 194, and analyzed in OLAP analysiscubes 1-N 200 (as described previously in connection with FIG. 7C).

[0224] In accordance with the present invention, services andapplication server 202 provides a plurality of integrated functions andservices to the user of VCI system 28. Services and application server202 consists of application server 212, core services 90, foundationservices 92, and modules 1-N 106. Application server 212, such as BEAWebLogic, IBM WebSphere, etc., is a server that manages the resourcesfor the integrated functions and services of services and applicationserver 202. Core services 90 preferably is comprised of the services formanaging and accessing the basic services and functionality of VCIsystem 28, including the underlying operating systems, servers, etc.that reside on the network. Foundation services 92, as noted above,provide shared data and services for data integration, messaging, and aplurality of functions for modules 1-N 106. In accordance with thepresent invention, foundation services 92 rely upon and interact withcore services 90 to provide common data and services to modules 1-N 106.Modules 1-N 106 provide a plurality of data and analysis tools, whichoffer solutions to domain-specific problems. Thus, services andapplication server 202 provides a plurality of functions derived fromthe services of foundation layer 74 and module layer 76.

[0225] In accordance with the present invention, report server 204receives analyzed data from analysis database 194 and OLAP server 198 indata integration components 118, and presents reports about theintegrated data to the user via the web browser of VCI user interface208. Data may be reported to the user in a plurality of report formatsand methods. Reports may be delivered via OLAP report client 210 in astandard report format, such as Microsoft Excel, Cognos PowerPlay, etc.,or in a web format using eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), etc.Reports may also be converted into a web-accessible format by reportserver 204 and sent directly to the user via VCI user interface 208 orvia a web browser. In addition, the report data may be accessed andmanipulated by modules 1-N 106 and sent directly to the user via VCIuser interface 208. As noted earlier, user metadata database 206preferably is an operational relational database that contains metadataabout the users.

[0226] In accordance with the present invention, VCI user interface 208preferably consists of a plurality of customizable objects and windows,which may be configured to display graphs, charts, tables, pop-upwindows, text boxes, check boxes, status bars, etc. Each customizableobject or window may be predefined or modified according to user needs,and may display a customized user interface that integrates a pluralityof internal and external data. VCI user interface 208 may be accessedwith a web browser via a PC, laptop, handheld WAP device, etc.

[0227] In accordance with the present invention, VCI user interface 208preferably organizes and displays a plurality of views of internal data30, a plurality of views of external data 32, and a plurality of viewsof integrated data resulting from the analysis and integration ofinternal data 30 and external data 32 in data integration components118. Data may be organized in VCI user interface 208 in a plurality ofrelevant categories, such as parts, part families, suppliers, contracts,news, market offerings, etc., which preferably are accessed via aplurality of linked windows and objects. For example, pertinent data maybe organized according to part families, so that when the user selects aparticular part or part family from a search page, all other relatedinformation for that part or part family (such as suppliers, contracts,market offerings, etc.) are organized and displayed to the user in anaccessible format. Conventional visual, audio and tactile controls andfeatures may be implemented for the user interface design, including aplurality of tabs, buttons, rollovers, sliders, check boxes, touchscreens, dialog boxes, cascading menus, pop-up windows, drop-down lists,text messages, scroll bars, status bars, and time indicators, etc.Buttons may also appear in a plurality of states, such as normal,selected, default, and unavailable.

[0228] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a userimplementing one or a plurality of modules 1-N 1-6 preferably has accessto an integrated view of data, such as internal data 30 about contracts,external data 32 about market offerings, etc. Accordingly, the user maydefine the parameters for criteria important to specific tasks in eachmodule via VCI user interface 208. Modules 1-N 106 create templates fora plurality of views of the data (i.e., tables, graphs, etc.) anddisplay them via VCI user interface 208. The data may be organized inVCI user interface 208 around parts, suppliers, contracts, news, marketofferings, etc., with the ability to move from one such view to anotherthrough links. For example, all the pertinent information might beorganized around individual parts or part families, so that when theuser selects a particular part or part family from the search page, allother related data (from, for example, suppliers, contracts, news, news,market offerings, etc.) for that part or part family are organized andpresented to the user.

[0229] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, VCI system 28 provides functions and services for a pluralityof domains and subject matter experts, such as suppliers, manufacturers,procurement professionals, design engineers, etc. The functions andservices allow such professionals to collaborate by gathering andsynthesizing internal data 30 and external data 32 for direct materialprocurement. In addition, VCI system 28 provides functions and servicesfor integrating design activities, procurement strategies, and supplierrelationships with the existing infrastructure of an enterprise toincrease supply chain efficiency. Thus, locating cheaper components andalternate sources for supplies, in addition to conducting collaborativedesign with buyers and suppliers, means that a company can bring newinnovative products to market faster.

[0230] Thus, for example, VCI system 28 enables procurementprofessionals to perform the following actions:

[0231] Visualize the total set of components and raw materials within amanufacturing or purchasing organization enabling procurementorganizations to save time in locating relevant information oncomponents, prices, availability and component delivery times.

[0232] Make decisions by looking at ‘what if’, scenarios during theprocurement decision making process. These situations may involvelooking at different suppliers, or different demand levels, or analyzingthe impact of component shortages.

[0233] Conduct analysis on inventory costs by reducing the cost ofprocurement for new components, when existing components can besubstituted in their place.

[0234] Alert procurement and other supply chain professionals of variousevents regarding material procurement and status in order to ensurefulfillment meets their goals. These events may involve shortages,changes in component prices, quality problems, increases in Enterprisedemand and schedule changes for a component.

[0235] Execute actions between supply chain partners, i.e. procurement,suppliers and designers, by releasing POs for components needed inmanufacturing, contacting suppliers for quotations for lower pricecomponents, contacting suppliers to resolve shortage problems forcomponents, selling excess inventory, etc.

[0236] Further, VCI system 28 provides a method for collaborationbetween one or a plurality of professionals and business units. Forexample, designers and procurement professionals preferably use VCIsystem 28 to collaborate with suppliers, and vice versa. Suchcollaboration may include one or a plurality of the following tasks:

[0237] Viewing the inventory of a part or plurality of parts provided bya supplier in the inventory system of an enterprise

[0238] Viewing BOMs to see if any component should be supplied to amanufacturer that currently is not included in the part/supplierdatabase, in addition to viewing any changes in the BOM on releasedmodels

[0239] Viewing new components required by the manufacturer for biddingpurposes

[0240] Viewing all POs for components that have been fulfilled by asupplier or plurality of suppliers

[0241] Viewing the current supplier rating status as viewed by themanufacturer based on delivery and quality performance ratings, inaddition to viewing the ratings of similar suppliers as established bythe manufacturer

[0242] Viewing the production schedule for components that are currentlybeing planned for production purposes

[0243] Viewing any published documents attached to a component record inthe part/supplier database

[0244] Accordingly, data may be shared in a plurality formats, such asdata views, files, reports, etc. between professionals and businessunits. Thus, in sharing data, professionals and business units may beable to collaborate to reach tactical and strategic business goals. Thisfeature is particularly beneficial to suppliers since they can accesscritical enterprise data for their own decision-making processes.

[0245] In accordance with the present invention, data discovery moduleof module layer 86 provides access to a plurality of data (e.g.,internal data 30, external data 32, integrated data based on somecombination of internal data 30 and external data 32, etc.), so usersmay access, query, analyze and organize such data in a plurality ofways. Accordingly, users may employ data discovery module to perform oneor a plurality of the following tasks:

[0246] Matching an equivalent, standard qualified part or parts to aninternal part number from a parts/supplier database

[0247] Matching a similar internal part or parts in the parts/supplierdatabase to an external part number

[0248] Matching qualified and non-qualified suppliers sources to aninternal part number

[0249] Generating a comparative price list for an internal part or setof internal parts to compare the respective contract prices with salesoffer prices

[0250] Generating a list of supplier sources for a part or parts withina part family

[0251] Matching a buyer or plurality of buyers with contact informationfor an internal part or plurality of internal parts

[0252] Providing lead-time history for a supplier of a part and/or forall suppliers within a part family

[0253] Generating a lead-time rating for a supplier or plurality ofsuppliers

[0254] Providing inspection and quality records for a supplier orplurality of suppliers

[0255] Viewing a supplier rating for a supplier or plurality ofsuppliers within a part family, including but not limited to delivery,quality, and order fulfillment history

[0256] Generating current inventory status for a part or plurality ofparts in an inventory system or plurality of inventory systems

[0257] Identifying weekly or monthly consumption rates for a part orplurality of parts from an inventory system or plurality of inventorysystems

[0258] Viewing a forecast or plurality of forecasts for all modelscontaining a given part or plurality of parts

[0259] Providing the stock out history for a part or plurality of partsand their respective supplier information

[0260] Generating a list out order history for an internal part orplurality of internal parts

[0261] Providing an aggregated list of parts for an aggregated list ofmodels

[0262] Viewing excess inventory for an internal part number or aplurality of internal part numbers

[0263] Determining a component or plurality of components that can serveas a substitute for a particular component or plurality of components,and detecting market conditions for the substitute component orcomponents that could have an impact on the price or availability forthe particular component or plurality of components

[0264] Further, alerts may automatically invoke a module or plurality ofmodules from module layer 86. For example, when the market price forSDRAM goes below or above a given percentage level of the contractprice, then an alert may be accompanied by either an action toautomatically purchase a predetermined number of SDRAM from an onlinemarketplace or an action to automatically sell a predetermined number ofSDRAM to an online marketplace; in addition, the same alert may beaccompanied by a follow-up action in another module to either generate apurchase order in an appropriate format so that it may be passed asinput to an enterprise purchasing system or generate a sale in anappropriate format so that it may be passed as input to an enterprisepurchasing system. In another example, when a new supplier achieves astatus rating (such as a “qualified” rating) for SDRAM or a certainfamily of DRAM, then the owner of the alert may be notified by e-mail ofsuch an event, invoking the supplier allocation module of module layer86 to re-calculate the percentage of business that should be allocatedto suppliers for SDRAM and/or DRAM. Thus, an alert or plurality ofalerts may automatically invoke a module or plurality of modules frommodule layer 86.

[0265] In accordance with the present invention, the following are someexamples of alerts that may result in the action of notifying the ownerof the alert, by e-mail, or some other means, of an event:

[0266] The lead-time has exceeded a certain limit for a supplier

[0267] The lead-time has exceeded a certain limit set by a supplier

[0268] An PO was placed with a non-qualified supplier

[0269] The number of lots delivered was less than the number of lots onthe PO

[0270] The number of lots delivered was more than the number of lots onthe PO

[0271] The price for a given component fell below or above a givenpercentage level from the contract price

[0272] A component inventory has exceeded a certain threshold level(e.g., high limit, low limit, etc.)

[0273] The number of lots accepted is below a certain limit set for asupplier

[0274] The number of defects per lot is greater than a given limit

[0275] A PO has been placed on a non-qualified supplier

[0276] A new supplier achieved qualified status within a certain partfamily

[0277] An established supplier lost “approval” status

[0278] A component needed by a design group has no known supplier

[0279] A PO was placed on a different (but qualified) supplier for acomponent, which typically is procured from a standard supplier

[0280] A new part that a given supplier should supply has been added tothe BOM

[0281] A part specification has been updated for a part in an existingBOM, and requires a change in supplier manufacturing processes.

[0282] The supplier finished goods inventory for a part that is beingsupplied falls below a certain level

[0283] The supplier shipment date is beyond the date when the lot canarrive at the manufacturer's location

[0284] Alert procurement organizations when components that currently donot exist in the part/supplier database are added to a BOM.

[0285] Alert and list out components in the BOM that have lead-timesgreater than a set lead-time limit.

[0286] Send alerts to users of procurement product and/or suppliers ofany component being replaced (Engineering Change Order) for a BOM on areleased model

[0287] Alert a user of procurement product of a supplier-initiated delayin shipment

[0288] Receive an alert for a change in the production schedule

[0289] Receive an alert when a designated designer or a set of designersselect a new component (currently not in the parts/supplier database)that belongs to the same category in which the supplier currentlysupplies in

[0290] Receive an alert when a lot supplied by the supplier is rejected

[0291] Receive an alert when a designer makes an engineering change on acomponent for an existing BOM

[0292] Receive an alert when the inventory for the component supplied bythe supplier drops below a certain minimum threshold

[0293] Be alerted when the supplier rating drops below a certain level

[0294] It should be further noted that the existence of data mart 74,which contains a plurality of normalized and integrated internal data 30and external 32, facilitates the process of developing and processingalerts because the designers of modules, such as alert engine 94, onlyhave to be concerned with the data that needs to be monitored and theirrespective relationships, and not with how this data is extracted,transformed, and loaded from their respective sources.

[0295] As will be appreciated, in accordance with the present inventionone particular advantage is that in general rules or rule sets, such asthose that alerts are comprised of, can be used as a general method forthe user to define an automated or semi-automated action; in this case,“action” may include any action that can be taken by the system, such asadding something to some database, initiating a purchase action, etc.

[0296] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a user mayspecify the following alert in VCI user interface 208 of VCI system 28:When at least one market price for a component with internal part number01234 at an online marketplace is at least 20% lower than the averagecontract price for the component with internal part number 01234, thenalert the user to specify the number of parts and subsequently generatea PO to purchase the specified amount at the market price from theonline marketplace in an appropriate format, so that the data can bepassed as input to an enterprise purchasing system. The alert generatedat VCI user interface 208 is encoded in the appropriate format in alertengine 94. Alert engine 94 preferably monitors data mart 74 for onlinemarketplace prices for internal part number 01234. The monitoring ofsuch data preferably takes place in a plurality of ways, includingdatabase triggers, database queries for that value at regular intervals,etc. Similarly, alert engine 94 monitors the value of all contractprices for part 01234 in data mart 74. Alert engine 94 continuouslycompares the lowest of the obtained contract prices and the lowest ofthe obtained online marketplace prices in order to determine if thelatter is at least 20% lower than the former. When such a condition ismet, the data alert module in module layer 86 triggers an alert,invoking the purchase module in module layer 86 to generate a window inVCI user interface 208 for the user to input the desired amount of part01234 to be purchased. Upon receipt of such input, a purchase module inmodule layer 86 generates a PO to purchase the specified amount of part01234 at the market price from the online marketplace that offers such apart at the aforementioned lowest price, in an appropriate format, sothat it can be passed as input to an enterprise purchasing system. Itshould be noted that depending on the user's preferences, alert engine94 may instruct purchase module in module layer 86 to send an e-mail tothe user that includes a clickable link, which may result in theaforementioned window in VCI user interface 208. Such an e-mail may beaccompanied by any other form of notification, such as pager, voicemail, etc., or such a notification might be delivered without beingaccompanied by an e-mail.

[0297] Thus, in accordance with such an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the contract price for part 01234 and the onlinemarketplace prices for part 01234 represent exemplary embodiments ofinternal data 30 and external 32, respectively. Furthermore, contractprices for part 01234 may be located in one of custom databases 122,specifically in the contracts database, and accordingly is extracted byextract module 128, transformed by transform module 138, and loaded intodiscovery database 192 and analysis database 194, which comprise datamart 74, via load module 188. Similarly, online marketplace prices forpart 01234 are obtained by continuously accessing marketplace database156 and Internet sources 162, extracted by extraction module 172 and174, transformed by transform module 184 and 186, and loaded intodiscovery databases 192 and analysis database 194 via load module 188.

[0298] It should be further noted that alerts that have been triggeredare not the only means for automatically invoking a module in modulelayer 86. Preferably a module may also be invoked automatically as aresult of an external event, such as a news story, that might have animpact or connection to an enterprise, industry and/or market, but stillnecessitate an action through one of the modules in module layer 86. Forexample, a fire at a production plant that manufactures parts that aresupplied directly to an enterprise customer (or through a supplier thatpurchases parts from the owner of the plant and then sells them to theenterprise) might result in a disruption of the production schedule atthat production plant, an event that may eventually affect the supply ofparts for the production lines of the enterprise customer. Accordingly,VCI system 28 may quickly respond to such an event by, for instance,identifying alternate parts to replace the affected parts, identifyingsuppliers that might have available inventory of the affected parts thatcan be purchased immediately in anticipation of future shortage, oridentifying buying opportunities in marketplaces for purchasingavailable inventory of the affected parts in anticipation of futureshortage, etc. In accordance with the present invention, VCI system 28preferably generates a prompt alert to the user for the purpose ofcurtailing any disruptions to the production schedule of the enterprise.Prompt action to such an external event is critical because othercompetitive enterprises using the same parts may also identify thedanger to their production schedule and thus take corrective actions.The effect of a fire or other potentially disruptive events to theproduction of manufactured goods requires a complex series of steps aswell as access to both internal data 30 and external data 32 in order toidentify the precise effect that such an event at the manufacturer'splant may have on the enterprise's own production line.

[0299] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a largeenterprise, such as Hitachi or other electronic manufacturer, producesmemory module 61466 at the semiconductor manufacturing facility in SanJose, Calif. VCI customer A, such as Dell Computer or other computermanufacturer, uses memory module 61466 for producing laptop model 5000.A significant portion of the VCI customer A's supply of memory module61466 is produced at the Austin facility in Austin, Texas. Accordingly,the semiconductor facility in San Jose suffers a catastrophic event,such as a fire or a labor-related disruption, which might affect all orpart of its future production of memory module 61466. Such an event isdetermined to have an adverse effect on the production of laptop model5000, which in turn has an impact on the revenues and profits of the VCIcustomer A. The catastrophic event results in a news story that appearsin a news wire, a local news source, etc. (Such a story is an example ofexternal data 32 from news source 70 and may appear in Internet source158 or subscription database 152.)

[0300] In accordance with the present invention, VCI system 28preferably monitors external data sources 152 and 158 for such events,and extracts with extraction modules 164 and 166 news about the event,and stores the pertinent data, such as the type of event, date, time,manufacturer's name, location of the manufacturing facility, etc., indata mart 74. Accordingly, rules engine 96 is notified of this newsevent. Additional data is required by VCI system 28 in order todetermine if this news event can have an impact on VCI customer A. (Theadditional data is a combination of internal data 30 and external data32.) Accordingly, subscription content from internal data sources 158and/or 152 provides information about which product families aremanufactured at which manufacturing facilities. (Such geographicinformation, for example, is preferably presented as zip codes orsimilar such means.) Other subscription content provides informationabout the zip codes of city names and locations. Yet other subscriptioncontent provides information about the parts, preferably in terms ofspecific part numbers, which belong in a particular part family. Inaccordance with the exemplary embodiment, rules engine 96 preferablyuses such data to infer which parts (preferably described as partnumbers) are manufactured at the San Jose facility. Further additionaldata may be necessary to decide if the parts (preferably described aspart numbers) appear in any produced goods of VCI customer A, and whatis the precise effect of a disruption in the supply of memory module61466 on VCI customer A. Accordingly, rules engine 96 queries data mart74 for POs that include the identified part number or part numbers. Suchdata preferably was extracted from one of custom databases 122, such asthe BOM database, by extract module 128, transformed by transform module138, and loaded into discovery database 192 and analysis database 194,which comprise data mart 74, via load module 188.

[0301] Furthermore, data mart 74 preferably contains information aboutinventory levels of the previously identified part number andinformation about the production forecasts for laptop model 5000; suchinformation has already been integrated in a similar manner into datamart 92. In accordance wit the exemplary embodiment, rules engine 96infers that the previously identified part number appears in the BOM forlaptop model 5000, and after calculating the available inventory ofmemory module 61466 and the production forecasts for laptop model 5000,preferably recommends an appropriate action. If available inventorycovers the production needs specified by a product forecast for laptopmodel 5000, then the only action might be to alert the user of the eventof the fire, preferably with a description of its reasoning processbehind the alert, so that the user may become aware of the event forfuture decision making, even if no action is necessary at this time.However, if the available inventory lags behind the production forecast,then VCI system 28 preferably alerts the user of the event, againpreferably with a description of its reasoning process behind the alert,and/or automatically invokes one or more modules for immediate action.For example, VCI system 28 preferably may invoke the purchasing moduleand recommend buying a specified number of memory modules 61466 in orderto prevent any disruption to the production of laptop model 5000.

[0302] It should be noted that, in accordance with the presentinvention, if data is not available or present in data mart 74, then VCIsystem 28 while processing the event may ask the user to input themissing data, such as expected forecast, inventory levels, etc.,regarding a particular part number. Thus, VCI system 28 preferablydetermines if it is necessary to ask the user for data that may not bepresent in data mart 74.

[0303] It should be further noted that, in accordance with the presentinvention, other types of events or natural disasters, such asearthquakes, floods, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, epidemics, tornados,power outages, bombings, shootings, labor strikes, etc. might damage amanufacturing facility or disrupt the logistics of transporting partsfrom a facility to the location of a production plant. Accordingly, likeevents may occur along standard transportation routes further disruptingthe supply chain. Moreover, additional facilities, manufacturers, parts,and customers, may be affected by one or a plurality of such events. Forexample, there may be a third facility that has been adversely affectedby an event, further complicating how VCI system 28 may be required toprocess the data. In accordance with the present invention, VCI system28 preferably follows the rules and/or rules sets established by theuser in order to determine the most appropriate action. The presentinvention is intended to embrace all of the alternatives and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0304] In accordance with the present invention, BOM optimization modulein module layer 86 preferably helps to determine the optimal allocationof components in the face of a component shortage. Thus, if there is ashortage of a component with part number X and if part number X is usedin a plurality of products 1-N, then what should the manufacturedquantities be considering the criteria set by procurement,manufacturing, and/or finance. For example, such criteria may includemaximizing production, maximize revenues, maximizing margins, etc. Suchan analysis takes into account the production schedule, demand forecast,inventory of components, their usage in each model, etc., and calculatesthe manufactured quantities, depending on the expressed aforementionedcriteria. In response to an alert, an automatic invocation due to a newsstory, or the user's own initiative, the user preferably accesses thefunctionality of BOM optimization module in module layer 86 through theVCI user interface 208. Accordingly, the user specifies in the inputwindow the part number to be considered for BOM optimal allocation. Theinput window, in turn, presents the data pertinent to the task ofoptimal BOM allocation data, such as production schedule, demandforecast, inventory of components, the models that use the part, theirusage in each model, etc. It should be noted that the inventory data forthe user-specified part is an example of internal data 30. The inventorydata for such a part may be found, for example, in ERP system 124,extracted via business connector 148 and extract module 130 or 132,transformed by transform module 140 or 142, and loaded into discoverydatabase 192 and analysis database 194 via load module 188. Inaccordance with the present invention, the specific type of businessconnector, extraction module, and transform module depends upon thespecific data source for internal data 30, such as ERP system 52, MRPsystem 56, contracts databases 44, etc. The BOM optimization module inmodule layer 86 generally retrieves the needed data by querying datamart 74, but if certain of the required data are not available, then BOMoptimization module may query the user manually input that data. Uponreceiving the necessary data, the BOM optimization module preferablypasses the data to analytics engine 99 for processing. Accordingly,analytics engine 99 applies a plurality of optimization tools andtechniques, such as linear programming, integer programming, quadraticprogramming, constraint programming, etc., generally suitable forproblems of discovering a solution, to the problem of maximizing orminimizing a mathematical formula given a set of constraints. Uponcalculating the optimal solution, analytics engine 99 passes thesolution to the BOM optimization module, which presents the solution tothe user through VCI user interface 208. It should be noted that it ispossible that such a solution may be transmitted or made available tothe user in the form of a notification, such as e-mail, voice mail,pager message, etc. Such a notification may be particularly suitable incases where the amount of time required for analytics engine 99 tocalculate the optimal solution is significant or in cases where the userchooses to be notified in such a manner. Additionally, the user mayspecify that the solution discovered by analytics engine 99 bedelivered, either by e-mail or some other form of notification, to alist of individuals, other than the user that initiated the request tothe component BOM optimization module.

[0305] It should further be noted that, in accordance with the presentinvention, the existence of data mart 74, which contains a variety ofintegrated and normalized internal data 30 and external data 32,facilitates the development of the optimization code for the particulartask (such as BOM allocation optimization) and the processing of thenecessary data by the analytics engine 99, since the designers ofanalytics engine 99 need only be concerned with the data that needs tobe monitored and their respective relationships, without being concernedabout how this data is extracted, transformed and loaded from theirrespective sources.

[0306] Although the invention has been described in conjunction withspecific preferred and other embodiments, it is evident that manysubstitutions, alternatives and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly,the invention is intended to embrace all of the alternatives andvariations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.For example, it should be understood that, in accordance with thevarious alternative embodiments described herein, various systems, anduses and methods based on such systems, may be obtained. The variousrefinements and alternative and additional features also described maybe combined to provide additional advantageous combinations and the likein accordance with the present invention. Also as will be understood bythose skilled in the art based on the foregoing description, variousaspects of the preferred embodiments may be used in varioussubcombinations to achieve at least certain of the benefits andattributes described herein, and such subcombinations also are withinthe scope of the present invention. All such refinements, enhancementsand further uses of the present invention are within the scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented on a computer system via aplurality of software modules for managing a workflow process, themethod assisting a user with procurement decisions, sourcing decisionsand strategic sourcing decisions in an enterprise regarding one or aplurality of items, and comprising the steps of: discovering, via one ormore of the software modules, internal and external data related to atleast one item based on user-defined parameters, wherein the discoveredinternal and external data is extracted from a plurality of data sourcesinternal and external to the enterprise; storing the discovered internaland external data in a data mart; analyzing, via one or more of thesoftware modules, the discovered internal and external data, wherein anassessment is made of the impact or potential impact of the discoveredinternal and external data on procurement decisions, sourcing decisionsand strategic sourcing decisions in the enterprise with respect to theat least one item; and providing to the user, via one or more of thesoftware modules, one or more computer-initiated options for fully orpartially executing one or more action(s) with respect to procurement,sourcing or strategic sourcing of the at least one item on behalf of theenterprise.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovered internaland external data stored in the data mart is organized for querying andreport generation, and represented to the user in a plurality offormats.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step ofproducing, via one or more of the software modules, one or more reportsbased on the analysis of the discovered internal and external data,wherein the one or more reports provide the user with informationregarding the impact or potential impact of the discovered internal andexternal data on procurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategicsourcing decisions in the enterprise with respect to the at least oneitem, wherein the reports include information represented and/ordisplayed in graphical formats.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thegraphical formats of the information include tables, charts, graphs,and/or maps.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step ofproducing, via one or more of the software modules, one or more reportsbased on the analysis of the discovered internal and external data,wherein the one or more reports provide the user with informationregarding the impact or potential impact of the discovered internal andexternal data on procurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategicsourcing decisions in the enterprise with respect to the at least oneitem, wherein the reports include information represented and/ordisplayed in non-graphical formats.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe non-graphical formats of the information include news bulletins,alert boxes, and audio messages.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinfunctionalities of the workflow process are accessed by the user throughone or more software modules with a user interface.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the user may select one or more software modules andenter the workflow process at any point in the process, wherein the usercontrols of the functionalities of the workflow process.
 9. The methodof claim 7, wherein the user may select one or more software modules tofollow the workflow process, wherein the user is guided through thefunctionalities of the workflow process.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the system may proactively invoke one or more software modulesfrom the module layer and alert the user to any relevant change(s) thatrequire action(s) based on user-defined parameters.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the step of discovering internal and external dataassists the user in identifying parameters for criteria relevant toprocurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing in anenterprise regarding one or a plurality of items.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the parameters are user-defined.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal andexternal data uses data from the step of discovering the internal andexternal data to produce one or more reports intended to assist the userin procurement decisions, sourcing decisions, and/or strategic sourcingdecisions.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing thediscovered internal and external data uses data from the step ofdiscovering the internal and external data to make recommendations forpossible actions based on the discovered internal and external data. 15.The method of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data collects data from the step of discoveringthe internal and external data related to the at least one item based onuser-defined parameters and additional data from user input to makerecommendations in real time.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of executing one or more actions uses data from the step ofanalyzing the discovered internal and external data as input for theuser to decide which recommendations to execute and when to executethem.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of discoveringinternal and external data collects, integrates and displays graphicaland non-graphical data.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofdiscovering internal and external data includes identifying andestablishing rules, notices, and alerts, which are customized accordingto user-defined criteria.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the alertsmay be specified by a user by either defining the customizableconditions that trigger the alert or by selecting and/or furtherspecifying alerts from a list of alerts that the system presents to theuser via a user interface.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the stepof discovering internal and external data includes extraction,transformation and loading of data, and also scanning of data that hasbeen aggregated across a single business unit or across multiplebusiness units of the same enterprise, conducting of real-timesearching, and customizing of real-time alerts and news feeds.
 21. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internaland external data performs quantitative and qualitative analysis on thediscovered data.
 22. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofanalyzing the discovered internal and external data implements aplurality of data and analysis tools.
 23. The method of claim 1, whereinthe step of analyzing the discovered internal and external data includesrisk analysis, data visualization, and/or ‘what if’ scenarios.
 24. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internaland external data includes making one or more recommendations based onthe analysis of the discovered internal and external data and displayingthe data via one or more generated reports and/or a user interface. 25.The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more recommendations enablethe user to define priorities, set parameters, and optimize dataoutputs.
 26. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing thediscovered internal and external data includes selecting parameters fromthe one or more user-defined parameters, selecting values, value ranges,and/or conditions for the selected one or more user-defined parameters,establishing weight(s) or relative weight(s) for the selected one ormore user-defined parameters, and/or prioritizing weight(s) or relativeweight(s) for the selected one or more user-defined parameters.
 27. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of executing one or more actionsenables the user to set automation levels at either a first level, whichprovides a greater range of permitted automated actions, or at a secondlevel, which provides a more restricted range of permitted automatedactions.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the additional automationlevels may be selected, providing a plurality of customized ranges ofpermitted automated actions.
 29. The method of claim 1, wherein the stepof executing one or more actions provides agents that followuser-defined rules to enable hands-free handling of user-definedexceptions and processes.
 30. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofexecuting one or more actions initiates a transaction via anotherapplication, carries out one or a plurality of transactions, and/orchanges information in an application.
 31. The method of claim 1,wherein the step of executing one or more actions includes providingagents that follow user-defined rules to enable hands-free handling ofuser-defined exceptions and processes, initiating a transaction viaanother application, carrying out certain transactions, wherein thecertain transactions include generating and sending out a RFQ, and/orchanging discovered internal and external data in an internalapplication.
 32. The method of claim 1, wherein the internal andexternal data related to at least one item and resulting from the stepsin the workflow process are reintegrated into the data mart after eachaction is processed, wherein the data are continuously incorporated intothe data mart automatically or at predetermined or other intervals. 33.The method of claim 3, further comprising, after the step of producingone or more reports based on the analysis of the discovered internal andexternal data, the step of recommending to the user, via one or more ofthe software modules, one or more proposed actions with respect to theprocurement, sourcing and strategic sourcing of the at least one item onbehalf of the enterprise based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data.
 34. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising, after the step of producing one or more reports based on theanalysis of the discovered internal and external data, the step ofrecommending to the user, via one or more of the software modules, oneor more proposed actions with respect to the procurement, sourcing andstrategic sourcing of the at least one item on behalf of the enterprisebased on the analysis of the discovered internal and external data. 35.The method of claim 1, wherein the software modules are implemented inaccordance with the steps of the workflow process.
 36. The method ofclaim 35, wherein a first action of the workflow process inputs datainto one or more of the software modules, wherein one or more softwaremodules processing a second action of the workflow process access thedata input by the first action, wherein the data input by the firstaction are automatically incorporated in the workflow process and madeavailable to the one or more software modules processing the secondaction.
 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the data are the result ofuser input.
 38. The method of claim 36, wherein the data are the resultof system input.
 39. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or moresoftware modules automatically incorporate the discovered internal andexternal data and/or data produced by the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data resulting from one or more previous actionsand/or steps in the workflow process into a next invocation of the oneor more software modules.
 40. The method of claim 39, wherein the dataare the result of user input.
 41. The method of claim 39, wherein thedata are the result of system input.
 42. The method of claim 1, whereinthe one or more software modules alert the user of conditions that meetthe parameters set by the user and are relevant to the user's tasks inprocurement, sourcing, and/or strategic sourcing.
 43. The method ofclaim 42, wherein the conditions include values, combinations of values,and conditions for the values and combinations of values.
 44. The methodof claim 1, wherein the one or more software modules are automaticallyinvoked with partial or complete instantiation, wherein the partial orcomplete instantiation specifies all or part of the user input forperforming a task with a software module, wherein the invocation andinstantiation are the result of one or more alerts that have beentriggered, or one or more events that the computer system determinesmerit invocation of one or more software modules.
 45. The method ofclaim 44, wherein the invocation of the one or more software modulesoccurs with or without instantiation and is accompanied by arepresentation of an alert or plurality of alerts that caused the moduleto be invoked.
 46. The method of claim 44, wherein the invocation of amodule or plurality of modules with or without instantiation occurs andis accompanied by a representation of the steps that caused the moduleto be invoked.
 47. A method implemented on a computer system via aplurality of software modules for managing a workflow process, themethod assisting a user with procurement decisions, sourcing decisionsand strategic sourcing decisions in an enterprise regarding one or aplurality of items, and comprising the steps of: discovering, via one ormore of the software modules, internal and external data related to atleast one item based on user-defined parameters, wherein the discoveredinternal and external data is extracted from a plurality of data sourcesinternal and external to the enterprise; storing the discovered internaland external data in a data mart; analyzing, via one or more of thesoftware modules, the discovered internal and external data, wherein anassessment is made of the impact or potential impact of the discoveredinternal and external data on procurement decisions, sourcing decisionsand strategic sourcing decisions in the enterprise with respect to theat least one item; recommending to the user, via one or more of thesoftware modules, one or more proposed actions with respect toprocurement, sourcing or strategic sourcing of the at least one item onbehalf of the enterprise based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data; and providing to the user, via one or moreof the software modules, one or more computer-initiated options forfully or partially executing one or more action(s) with respect to theprocurement, sourcing or strategic sourcing of the at least one item onbehalf of the enterprise.
 48. The method of claim 47, wherein thediscovered internal and external data stored in the data mart isorganized for querying and report generation, and represented to theuser in a plurality of formats.
 49. The method of claim 47, furthercomprising the step of producing, via one or more of the softwaremodules, one or more reports based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data, wherein the one or more reports provide theuser with information regarding the impact or potential impact of thediscovered internal and external data on procurement decisions, sourcingdecisions and strategic sourcing decisions in the enterprise withrespect to the at least one item, wherein the reports includeinformation represented and/or displayed in graphical formats.
 50. Themethod of claim 49, wherein the graphical formats of the informationinclude tables, charts, graphs, and/or maps.
 51. The method of claim 47,further comprising the step of producing, via one or more of thesoftware modules, one or more reports based on the analysis of thediscovered internal and external data, wherein the one or more reportsprovide the user with information regarding the impact or potentialimpact of the discovered internal and external data on procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing decisions in theenterprise with respect to the at least one item, wherein the reportsinclude information represented and/or displayed in non-graphicalformats.
 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the non-graphical formatsof the information include news bulletins, alert boxes, and audiomessages.
 53. The method of claim 47, wherein functionalities of theworkflow process are accessed by the user through one or more softwaremodules with a user interface.
 54. The method of claim 53, wherein theuser may select one or more software modules and enter the workflowprocess at any point in the process, wherein the user controls of thefunctionalities of the workflow process.
 55. The method of claim 54,wherein the user may select one or more software modules to follow theworkflow process, wherein the user is guided through the functionalitiesof the workflow process.
 56. The method of claim 47, wherein the systemmay proactively invoke one or more software modules from the modulelayer and alert the user to any relevant change(s) that requireaction(s) based on user-defined parameters.
 57. The method of claim 47,wherein the step of discovering internal and external data assists theuser in identifying parameters for criteria relevant to procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing in an enterpriseregarding one or a plurality of items.
 58. The method of claim 57,wherein the parameters are user-defined.
 59. The method of claim 47,wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal and external datauses data from the step of discovering the internal and external data toproduce one or more reports intended to assist the user in procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions, and/or strategic sourcing decisions. 60.The method of claim 47, wherein the step of recommending to the user oneor more proposed actions uses data from the step of analyzing thediscovered internal and external data to make recommendations forpossible actions based on the discovered internal and external data. 61.The method of claim 47, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data collects data from the step of discoveringthe internal and external data related to the at least one item based onuser-defined parameters and additional data from user input to makerecommendations in real time.
 62. The method of claim 47, wherein thestep of executing one or more actions uses data from the step ofanalyzing the discovered internal and external data as input for theuser to decide which recommendations to execute and when to executethem.
 63. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of discoveringinternal and external data collects, integrates and displays graphicaland non-graphical data.
 64. The method of claim 47, wherein the step ofdiscovering internal and external data includes identifying andestablishing rules, notices, and alerts, which are customized accordingto user-defined criteria.
 65. The method of claim 64, wherein the alertsmay be specified by a user by either defining the customizableconditions that trigger the alert or by selecting and/or furtherspecifying alerts from a list of alerts that the system presents to theuser via a user interface.
 66. The method of claim 47, wherein the stepof discovering internal and external data includes extraction,transformation and loading of data, and also scanning of data that hasbeen aggregated across a single business unit or across multiplebusiness units of the same enterprise, conducting of real-timesearching, and customizing of real-time alerts and news feeds.
 67. Themethod of claim 47, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data performs quantitative and qualitativeanalysis on the discovered data.
 68. The method of claim 47, wherein thestep of analyzing the discovered internal and external data implements aplurality of data and analysis tools.
 69. The method of claim 47,wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal and external dataincludes risk analysis, data visualization, and/or ‘what if’ scenarios.70. The method of claim 47, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data includes making one or more recommendationsbased on the analysis of the discovered internal and external data anddisplaying the data via one or more generated reports and/or a userinterface.
 71. The method of claim 70, wherein the one or morerecommendations enable the user to define priorities, set parameters,and optimize data outputs.
 72. The method of claim 47, wherein the stepof analyzing the discovered internal and external data includesselecting parameters from the one or more user-defined parameters,selecting values, value ranges, and/or conditions for the selected oneor more user-defined parameters, establishing weight(s) or relativeweight(s) for the selected one or more user-defined parameters, and/orprioritizing weight(s) or relative weight(s) for the selected one ormore user-defined parameters.
 73. The method of claim 47, wherein thestep of executing one or more actions enables the user to set automationlevels at either a first level, which provides a greater range ofpermitted automated actions, or at a second level, which provides a morerestricted range of permitted automated actions.
 74. The method of claim73, wherein the additional automation levels maybe selected, providing aplurality of customized ranges of permitted automated actions.
 75. Themethod of claim 47, wherein the step of executing one or more actionsprovides agents that follow user-defined rules to enable hands-freehandling of user-defined exceptions and processes.
 76. The method ofclaim 47, wherein the step of executing one or more actions initiates atransaction via another application, carries out one or a plurality oftransactions, and/or changes information in an application.
 77. Themethod of claim 47, wherein the step of executing one or more actionsincludes providing agents that follow user-defined rules to enablehands-free handling of user-defined exceptions and processes, initiatinga transaction via another application, carrying out certaintransactions, wherein the certain transactions include generating andsending out a RFQ, and/or changing discovered internal and external datain an internal application.
 78. The method of claim 47, wherein theinternal and external data related to at least one item and resultingfrom the steps in the workflow process are reintegrated into the datamart after each action is processed, wherein the data are continuouslyincorporated into the data mart automatically or at predetermined orother intervals.
 79. The method of claim 47, wherein the softwaremodules are implemented in accordance with the steps of the workflowprocess.
 80. The method of claim 79, wherein a first action of theworkflow process inputs data into one or more of the software modules,wherein one or more software modules processing a second action of theworkflow process access the data input by the first action, wherein thedata input by the first action are automatically incorporated in theworkflow process and made available to the one or more software modulesprocessing the second action.
 81. The method of claim 80, wherein thedata are the result of user input.
 82. The method of claim 80, whereinthe data are the result of system input.
 83. The method of claim 47,wherein the one or more software modules automatically incorporate thediscovered internal and external data and/or data produced by theanalysis of the discovered internal and external data resulting from oneor more previous actions and/or steps in the workflow process into anext invocation of the one or more software modules.
 84. The method ofclaim 83, wherein the data are the result of user input.
 85. The methodof claim 83, wherein the data are the result of system input.
 86. Themethod of claim 47, wherein the one or more software modules alert theuser of conditions that meet the parameters set by the user and arerelevant to the user's tasks in procurement, sourcing, and/or strategicsourcing.
 87. The method of claim 86, wherein the conditions includevalues, combinations of values, and conditions for the values andcombinations of values.
 88. The method of claim 47, wherein the one ormore software modules are automatically invoked with partial or completeinstantiation, wherein the partial or complete instantiation specifiesall or part of the user input for performing a task with a softwaremodule, wherein the invocation and instantiation are the result of oneor more alerts that have been triggered, or one or more events that thecomputer system determines merit invocation of one or more softwaremodules.
 89. The method of claim 88, wherein the invocation of the oneor more software modules occurs with or without instantiation and isaccompanied by a representation of an alert or plurality of alerts thatcaused the module to be invoked.
 90. The method of claim 88, wherein theinvocation of a module or plurality of modules with or withoutinstantiation occurs and is accompanied by a representation of the stepsthat caused the module to be invoked.
 91. A method implemented on acomputer system via a plurality of software modules for managing aworkflow process, the method assisting a user with procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing decisions in anenterprise regarding one or a plurality of items, and comprising thesteps of: discovering, via one or more of the software modules, internaland external data related to at least one item based on user-definedparameters, wherein the discovered internal and external data isextracted from a plurality of data sources internal and external to theenterprise; storing the discovered internal and external data in a datamart; identifying, via one or more of the software modules, one or moreconditions related to the at least one item or related to procurement,sourcing, and strategic sourcing in the enterprise of the at least oneitem; if at least one of the one or more conditions is satisfied,generating, via one or more of the software modules, at least one alertfor the user; analyzing, via one or more of the software modules, thediscovered internal and external data, wherein an assessment is made ofthe impact or potential impact of the discovered internal and externaldata on procurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcingdecisions in the enterprise with respect to the at least one item; andproviding to the user, via one or more of the software modules, one ormore computer-initiated options for fully or partially executing one ormore action(s) with respect to the procurement, sourcing or strategicsourcing of the at least one item on behalf of the enterprise.
 92. Themethod of claim 91, wherein the discovered internal and external datastored in the data mart is organized for querying and report generation,and represented to the user in a plurality of formats.
 93. The method ofclaim 91, further comprising the step of producing, via one or more ofthe software modules, one or more reports based on the analysis of thediscovered internal and external data, wherein the one or more reportsprovide the user with information regarding the impact or potentialimpact of the discovered internal and external data on procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing decisions in theenterprise with respect to the at least one item, wherein the reportsinclude information represented and/or displayed in graphical formats.94. The method of claim 93, wherein the graphical formats of theinformation include tables, charts, graphs, and/or maps.
 95. The methodof claim 91, further comprising the step of producing, via one or moreof the software modules, one or more reports based on the analysis ofthe discovered internal and external data, wherein the one or morereports provide the user with information regarding the impact orpotential impact of the discovered internal and external data onprocurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcingdecisions in the enterprise with respect to the at least one item,wherein the reports include information represented and/or displayed innon-graphical formats.
 96. The method of claim 95, wherein thenon-graphical formats of the information include news bulletins, alertboxes, and audio messages.
 97. The method of claim 91, whereinfunctionalities of the workflow process are accessed by the user throughone or more software modules with a user interface.
 98. The method ofclaim 97, wherein the user may select one or more software modules andenter the workflow process at any point in the process, wherein the usermay have control of the functionalities of the workflow process.
 99. Themethod of claim 97, wherein the user may select one or more softwaremodules to follow the workflow process, wherein the user is guidedthrough the functionalities of the workflow process.
 100. The method ofclaim 91, wherein the system may proactively invoke one or more softwaremodules from the module layer and alert the user to any relevantchange(s) that require action(s) based on user-defined parameters. 101.The method of claim 91, wherein the step of discovering internal andexternal data assists the user in identifying parameters for criteriarelevant to procurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategicsourcing in an enterprise regarding one or a plurality of items. 102.The method of claim 101, wherein the parameters are user-defined. 103.The method of claim 91, wherein the step of identifying one or moreconditions related to the at least one item assists the user inspecifying conditions that will trigger an alert.
 104. The method ofclaim 103, wherein the conditions that will trigger an alert areuser-defined.
 105. The method of claim 91, wherein the step ofgenerating at least one alert for the user may be executedautomatically, after the user's approval or after the approval of one ormore actions.
 106. The method of claim 91, wherein the step of analyzingthe discovered internal and external data uses data from the step ofdiscovering the internal and external data and the step of identifyingone or more conditions related to the at least one item to produce oneor more reports intended to assist the user in procurement decisions,sourcing decisions, and/or strategic sourcing decisions.
 107. The methodof claim 91, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal andexternal data uses data from the step of discovering the internal andexternal data to make recommendations for possible actions based on thediscovered internal and external data.
 108. The method of claim 91,wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal and external datacollects data from the step of discovering the internal and externaldata related to the at least one item based on user-defined parametersand additional data from user input to make recommendations in realtime.
 109. The method of claim 91, wherein the step of executing one ormore actions uses data from the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data as input for the user to decide whichrecommendations to execute and when to execute them.
 110. The method ofclaim 91, wherein the step of discovering internal and external datacollects, integrates and displays graphical and non-graphical data. 111.The method of claim 91, wherein the step of identifying one or moreconditions related to the at least one item includes identifying andestablishing rules, notices, and alerts, which are customized accordingto user-defined criteria.
 112. The method of claim 111, wherein thealerts may be specified by a user by either defining the customizableconditions that trigger the alert or by selecting and/or furtherspecifying alerts from a list of alerts that the system presents to theuser via a user interface.
 113. The method of claim 91, wherein the stepof discovering internal and external data includes extraction,transformation and loading of data, and also scanning of data that hasbeen aggregated across a single business unit or across multiplebusiness units of the same enterprise, conducting of real-timesearching, and customizing of real-time alerts and news feeds.
 114. Themethod of claim 91, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data performs quantitative and qualitativeanalysis on the discovered data.
 115. The method of claim 91, whereinthe step of analyzing the discovered internal and external dataimplements a plurality of data and analysis tools.
 116. The method ofclaim 91, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal andexternal data includes risk analysis, data visualization, and/or ‘whatif’, scenarios.
 117. The method of claim 91, wherein the step ofanalyzing the discovered internal and external data includes making oneor more recommendations based on the analysis of the discovered internaland external data and displaying the data via one or more generatedreports and/or a user interface.
 118. The method of claim 117, whereinthe one or more recommendations enable the user to define priorities,set parameters, and optimize data outputs.
 119. The method of claim 91,wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal and external dataincludes selecting parameters from the one or more user-definedparameters, selecting values, value ranges, and/or conditions for theselected one or more user-defined parameters, establishing weight(s) orrelative weight(s) for the selected one or more user-defined parameters,and/or prioritizing weight(s) or relative weight(s) for the selected oneor more user-defined parameters.
 120. The method of claim 91, whereinthe step of executing one or more actions enables the user to setautomation levels at either a first level, which provides a greaterrange of permitted automated actions, or at a second level, whichprovides a more restricted range of permitted automated actions. 121.The method of claim 120, wherein the additional automation levels may beselected, providing a plurality of customized ranges of permittedautomated actions.
 122. The method of claim 91, wherein the step ofexecuting one or more actions provides agents that follow user-definedrules to enable hands-free handling of user-defined exceptions andprocesses.
 123. The method of claim 91, wherein the step of executingone or more actions initiates a transaction via another application,carries out one or a plurality of transactions, and/or changesinformation in an application.
 124. The method of claim 91, wherein thestep of executing one or more actions includes providing agents thatfollow user-defined rules to enable hands-free handling of user-definedexceptions and processes, initiating a transaction via anotherapplication, carrying out certain transactions, wherein the certaintransactions include generating and sending out a RFQ, and/or changingdiscovered internal and external data in an internal application. 125.The method of claim 91, wherein the internal and external data relatedto at least one item and resulting from the steps in the workflowprocess are reintegrated into the data mart after each action isprocessed, wherein the data are continuously incorporated into the datamart automatically or at predetermined or other intervals.
 126. Themethod of claim 93, further comprising, after the step of producing oneor more reports based on the analysis of the discovered internal andexternal data, the step of recommending to the user, via one or more ofthe software modules, one or more proposed actions with respect to theprocurement, sourcing and strategic sourcing of the at least one item onbehalf of the enterprise based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data.
 127. The method of claim 95, furthercomprising, after the step of producing one or more reports based on theanalysis of the discovered internal and external data, the step ofrecommending to the user, via one or more of the software modules, oneor more proposed actions with respect to the procurement, sourcing andstrategic sourcing of the at least one item on behalf of the enterprisebased on the analysis of the discovered internal and external data. 128.The method of claim 91, wherein the software modules are implemented inaccordance with the steps of the workflow process.
 129. The method ofclaim 128, wherein a first action of the workflow process inputs datainto one or more of the software modules, wherein one or more softwaremodules processing a second action of the workflow process access thedata input by the first action, wherein the data input by the firstaction are automatically incorporated in the workflow process and madeavailable to the one or more software modules processing the secondaction.
 130. The method of claim 129, wherein the data are the result ofuser input.
 131. The method of claim 129, wherein the data are theresult of system input.
 132. The method of claim 91, wherein the one ormore software modules automatically incorporate the discovered internaland external data and/or data produced by the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data resulting from one or more previous actionsand/or steps in the workflow process into a next invocation of the oneor more software modules.
 133. The method of claim 132, wherein the dataare the result of user input.
 134. The method of claim 132, wherein thedata are the result of system input.
 135. The method of claim 91,wherein the one or more software modules alert the user of conditionsthat meet the parameters set by the user and are relevant to the user'stasks in procurement, sourcing, and/or strategic sourcing.
 136. Themethod of claim 135, wherein the conditions include values, combinationsof values, and conditions for the values and combinations of values.137. The method of claim 91, wherein the one or more software modulesare automatically invoked with partial or complete instantiation,wherein the partial or complete instantiation specifies all or part ofthe user input for performing a task with a software module, wherein theinvocation and instantiation are the result of one or more alerts thathave been triggered, or one or more events that the computer systemdetermines merit invocation of one or more software modules.
 138. Themethod of claim 137, wherein the invocation of the one or more softwaremodules occurs with or without instantiation and is accompanied by arepresentation of an alert or plurality of alerts that caused the moduleto be invoked.
 139. The method of claim 137, wherein the invocation of amodule or plurality of modules with or without instantiation occurs andis accompanied by a representation of the steps that caused the moduleto be invoked.
 140. A method implemented on a computer system via aplurality of software modules for managing a workflow process, themethod assisting a user with procurement decisions, sourcing decisionsand strategic sourcing decisions in an enterprise regarding one or aplurality of items, and comprising the steps of: discovering, via one ormore of the software modules, internal and external data related to atleast one item based on user-defined parameters, wherein the discoveredinternal and external data is extracted from a plurality of data sourcesinternal and external to the enterprise; storing the discovered internaland external data in a data mart; identifying, via one or more of thesoftware modules, one or more conditions related to the at least oneitem or related to procurement, sourcing, and strategic sourcing in theenterprise of the at least one item; if at least one of the one or moreconditions is satisfied, generating, via one or more of the softwaremodules, at least one alert for the user; analyzing, via one or more ofthe software modules, the discovered internal and external data, whereinan assessment is made of the impact or potential impact of thediscovered internal and external data on procurement decisions, sourcingdecisions and strategic sourcing decisions in the enterprise withrespect to the at least one item; recommending to the user, via one ormore of the software modules, one or more proposed actions with respectto the procurement, sourcing or strategic sourcing of the at least oneitem on behalf of the enterprise based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data; and providing to the user, via one or moreof the software modules, one or more computers-initiated options forfully or partially executing one or more action(s) with respect to theprocurement, sourcing or strategic sourcing of the at least one item onbehalf of the enterprise.
 141. The method of claim 140, wherein thediscovered internal and external data stored in the data mart isorganized for querying and report generation, and represented to theuser in a plurality of formats.
 142. The method of claim 140, furthercomprising the step of producing, via one or more of the softwaremodules, one or more reports based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data, wherein the one or more reports provide theuser with information regarding the impact or potential impact of thediscovered internal and external data on procurement decisions, sourcingdecisions and strategic sourcing decisions in the enterprise withrespect to the at least one item, wherein the reports includeinformation represented and/or displayed in graphical formats.
 143. Themethod of claim 142, wherein the graphical formats of the informationinclude tables, charts, graphs, and/or maps.
 144. The method of claim140, further comprising the step of producing, via one or more of thesoftware modules, one or more reports based on the analysis of thediscovered internal and external data, wherein the one or more reportsprovide the user with information regarding the impact or potentialimpact of the discovered internal and external data on procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing decisions in theenterprise with respect to the at least one item, wherein the reportsinclude information represented and/or displayed in non-graphicalformats.
 145. The method of claim 144, wherein the non-graphical formatsof the information include news bulletins, alert boxes, and audiomessages.
 146. The method of claim 140, wherein functionalities of theworkflow process are accessed by the user through one or more softwaremodules with a user interface.
 147. The method of claim 146, wherein theuser may select one or more software modules and enter the workflowprocess at any point in the process, wherein the user may have controlof the functionalities of the workflow process.
 148. The method of claim146, wherein the user may select one or more software modules to followthe workflow process, wherein the user is guided through thefunctionalities of the workflow process.
 149. The method of claim 140,wherein the system may proactively invoke one or more software modulesfrom the module layer and alert the user to any relevant change(s) thatrequire action(s) based on user-defined parameters.
 150. The method ofclaim 140, wherein the step of discovering internal and external dataassists the user in identifying parameters for criteria relevant toprocurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing in anenterprise regarding one or a plurality of items.
 151. The method ofclaim 150, wherein the parameters are user-defined.
 152. The method ofclaim 140, wherein the step of identifying one or more conditionsrelated to the at least one item assists the user in specifyingconditions that will trigger an alert.
 153. The method of claim 152,wherein the conditions that will trigger an alert are user-defined. 154.The method of claim 140, wherein the step of generating at least onealert for the user may be executed automatically, after the user'sapproval or after the approval of one or more actions.
 155. The methodof claim 140, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal andexternal data uses data from the step of discovering the internal andexternal data and the step of identifying one or more conditions relatedto the at least one item to produce one or more reports intended toassist the user in procurement decisions, sourcing decisions, and/orstrategic sourcing decisions.
 156. The method of claim 140, wherein thestep of recommending to the user one or more proposed actions uses datafrom the step of analyzing the discovered internal and external data tomake recommendations for possible actions based on the discoveredinternal and external data.
 157. The method of claim 140, wherein thestep of analyzing the discovered internal and external data collectsdata from the step of discovering the internal and external data relatedto the at least one item based on user-defined parameters and additionaldata from user input to make recommendations in real time.
 158. Themethod of claim 140, wherein the step of executing one or more actionsuses data from the step of analyzing the discovered internal andexternal data as input for the user to decide which recommendations toexecute and when to execute them.
 159. The method of claim 140, whereinthe step of discovering internal and external data collects, integratesand displays graphical and non-graphical data.
 160. The method of claim140, wherein the step of identifying one or more conditions related tothe at least one item includes identifying and establishing rules,notices, and alerts, which are customized according to user-definedcriteria.
 161. The method of claim 160, wherein the alerts may bespecified by a user by either defining the customizable conditions thattrigger the alert or by selecting and/or further specifying alerts froma list of alerts that the system presents to the user via a userinterface.
 162. The method of claim 140, wherein the step of discoveringinternal and external data includes extraction, transformation andloading of data, and also scanning of data that has been aggregatedacross a single business unit or across multiple business units of thesame enterprise, conducting of real-time searching, and customizing ofreal-time alerts and news feeds.
 163. The method of claim 140, whereinthe step of analyzing the discovered internal and external data performsquantitative and qualitative analysis on the discovered data.
 164. Themethod of claim 140, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data implements a plurality of data and analysistools.
 165. The method of claim 140, wherein the step of analyzing thediscovered internal and external data includes risk analysis, datavisualization, and/or ‘what if’, scenarios.
 166. The method of claim140, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal and externaldata includes making one or more recommendations based on the analysisof the discovered internal and external data and displaying the data viaone or more generated reports and/or a user interface.
 167. The methodof claim 166, wherein the one or more recommendations enable the user todefine priorities, set parameters, and optimize data outputs.
 168. Themethod of claim 140, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data includes selecting parameters from the one ormore user-defined parameters, selecting values, value ranges, and/orconditions for the selected one or more user-defined parameters,establishing weight(s) or relative weight(s) for the selected one ormore user-defined parameters, and/or prioritizing weight(s) or relativeweight(s) for the selected one or more user-defined parameters.
 169. Themethod of claim 140, wherein the step of executing one or more actionsenables the user to set automation levels at either a first level, whichprovides a greater range of permitted automated actions, or at a secondlevel, which provides a more restricted range of permitted automatedactions.
 170. The method of claim 169, wherein the additional automationlevels may be selected, providing a plurality of customized ranges ofpermitted automated actions.
 171. The method of claim 140, wherein thestep of executing one or more actions provides agents that followuser-defined rules to enable hands-free handling of user-definedexceptions and processes.
 172. The method of claim 140, wherein the stepof executing one or more actions initiates a transaction via anotherapplication, carries out one or a plurality of transactions, and/orchanges information in an application.
 173. The method of claim 140,wherein the step of executing one or more actions includes providingagents that follow user-defined rules to enable hands-free handling ofuser-defined exceptions and processes, initiating a transaction viaanother application, carrying out certain transactions, wherein thecertain transactions include generating and sending out a RFQ, and/orchanging discovered internal and external data in an internalapplication.
 174. The method of claim 140, wherein the internal andexternal data related to at least one item and resulting from the stepsin the workflow process are reintegrated into the data mart after eachaction is processed, wherein the data are continuously incorporated intothe data mart automatically or at predetermined or other intervals. 175.The method of claim 140, wherein the software modules are implemented inaccordance with the steps of the workflow process.
 176. The method ofclaim 175, wherein a first action of the workflow process inputs datainto one or more of the software modules, wherein one or more softwaremodules processing a second action of the workflow process access thedata input by the first action, wherein the data input by the firstaction are automatically incorporated in the workflow process and madeavailable to the one or more software modules processing the secondaction.
 177. The method of claim 176, wherein the data are the result ofuser input.
 178. The method of claim 176, wherein the data are theresult of system input.
 179. The method of claim 140, wherein the one ormore software modules automatically incorporate the discovered internaland external data and/or data produced by the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data resulting from one or more previous actionsand/or steps in the workflow process into a next invocation of the oneor more software modules.
 180. The method of claim 179, wherein the dataare the result of user input.
 181. The method of claim 179, wherein thedata are the result of system input.
 182. The method of claim 140,wherein the one or more software modules alert the user of conditionsthat meet the parameters set by the user and are relevant to the user'stasks in procurement, sourcing, and/or strategic sourcing.
 183. Themethod of claim 182, wherein the conditions include values, combinationsof values, and conditions for the values and combinations of values.184. The method of claim 140, wherein the one or more software modulesare automatically invoked with partial or complete instantiation,wherein the partial or complete instantiation specifies all or part ofthe user input for performing a task with a software module, wherein theinvocation and instantiation are the result of one or more alerts thathave been triggered, or one or more events that the computer systemdetermines merit invocation of one or more software modules.
 185. Themethod of claim 184, wherein the invocation of the one or more softwaremodules occurs with or without instantiation and is accompanied by arepresentation of an alert or plurality of alerts that caused the moduleto be invoked.
 186. The method of claim 184, wherein the invocation of amodule or plurality of modules with or without instantiation occurs andis accompanied by a representation of the steps that caused the moduleto be invoked.
 187. A method implemented on a computer system via aplurality of software modules for managing a workflow process, themethod assisting a user with procurement decisions, sourcing decisionsand strategic sourcing decisions in an enterprise regarding one or aplurality of items, and comprising the steps of: discovering, via one ormore of the software modules, internal and external data related to atleast one item based on user-defined parameters, wherein the discoveredinternal and external data is extracted from a plurality of data sourcesinternal and external to the enterprise; storing the discovered internaland external data in a data mart; analyzing, via one or more of thesoftware modules, the discovered internal and external data, wherein anassessment is made of the impact or potential impact of the discoveredinternal and external data on procurement decisions, sourcing decisionsand strategic sourcing decisions in the enterprise with respect to theat least one item; and identifying, via one or more of the softwaremodules, one or more conditions related to the at least one item orrelated to procurement, sourcing, and strategic sourcing in theenterprise of the at least one item; if at least one of the one or moreconditions is satisfied, generating, via one or more of the softwaremodules, at least one alert for the user; providing to the user, via oneor more of the software modules, one or more computer-initiated optionsfor fully or partially executing one or more action(s) with respect tothe procurement, sourcing or strategic sourcing of the at least one itemon behalf of the enterprise.
 188. The method of claim 187, wherein thediscovered internal and external data stored in the data mart isorganized for querying and report generation, and represented to theuser in a plurality of formats.
 189. The method of claim 187, furthercomprising the step of producing, via one or more of the softwaremodules, one or more reports based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data, wherein the one or more reports provide theuser with information regarding the impact or potential impact of thediscovered internal and external data on procurement decisions, sourcingdecisions and strategic sourcing decisions in the enterprise withrespect to the at least one item, wherein the reports includeinformation represented and/or displayed in graphical formats.
 190. Themethod of claim 189, wherein the graphical formats of the informationinclude tables, charts, graphs, and/or maps.
 191. The method of claim187, further comprising the step of producing, via one or more of thesoftware modules, one or more reports based on the analysis of thediscovered internal and external data, wherein the one or more reportsprovide the user with information regarding the impact or potentialimpact of the discovered internal and external data on procurementdecisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing decisions in theenterprise with respect to the at least one item, wherein the reportsinclude information represented and/or displayed in non-graphicalformats.
 192. The method of claim 191, wherein the non-graphical formatsof the information include news bulletins, alert boxes, and audiomessages.
 193. The method of claim 187, wherein functionalities of theworkflow process are accessed by the user through one or more softwaremodules with a user interface.
 194. The method of claim 193, wherein theuser may select one or more software modules and enter the workflowprocess at any point in the process, wherein the user may have controlof the functionalities of the workflow process.
 195. The method of claim193, wherein the user may select one or more software modules to followthe workflow process, wherein the user is guided through thefunctionalities of the workflow process.
 196. The method of claim 187,wherein the system may proactively invoke one or more software modulesfrom the module layer and alert the user to any relevant change(s) thatrequire action(s) based on user-defined parameters.
 197. The method ofclaim 187, wherein the step of discovering internal and external dataassists the user in identifying parameters for criteria relevant toprocurement decisions, sourcing decisions and strategic sourcing in anenterprise regarding one or a plurality of items.
 198. The method ofclaim 197, wherein the parameters are user-defined.
 199. The method ofclaim 187, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal andexternal data uses data from the step of discovering the internal andexternal data and the step of identifying one or more conditions relatedto the at least one item to produce one or more reports intended toassist the user in procurement decisions, sourcing decisions, and/orstrategic sourcing decisions.
 200. The method of claim 187, wherein thestep of analyzing the discovered internal and external data uses datafrom the step of discovering the internal and external data to makerecommendations for possible actions based on the discovered internaland external data.
 201. The method of claim 187, wherein the step ofanalyzing the discovered internal and external data collects data fromthe step of discovering the internal and external data related to the atleast one item based on user-defined parameters and additional data fromuser input to make recommendations in real time.
 202. The method ofclaim 187, wherein the step of identifying one or more conditionsrelated to the at least one item assists the user in specifyingconditions that will trigger an alert.
 203. The method of claim 202,wherein the conditions that will trigger an alert are user-defined. 204.The method of claim 187, wherein the step of generating at least onealert for the user may be executed automatically, after the user'sapproval or after the approval of one or more actions.
 205. The methodof claim 187, wherein the step of discovering internal and external datacollects, integrates and displays graphical and non-graphical data. 206.The method of claim 187, wherein the step of discovering internal andexternal data includes extraction, transformation and loading of data,and also scanning of data that has been aggregated across a singlebusiness unit or across multiple business units of the same enterprise,conducting of real-time searching, and customizing of real-time alertsand news feeds.
 207. The method of claim 187, wherein the step ofanalyzing the discovered internal and external data performsquantitative and qualitative analysis on the discovered data.
 208. Themethod of claim 187, wherein the step of analyzing the discoveredinternal and external data implements a plurality of data and analysistools.
 209. The method of claim 187, wherein the step of analyzing thediscovered internal and external data includes risk analysis, datavisualization, and/or ‘what if’ scenarios.
 210. The method of claim 187,wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal and external dataincludes making one or more recommendations based on the analysis of thediscovered internal and external data and displaying the data via one ormore generated reports and/or a user interface.
 211. The method of claim210, wherein the one or more recommendations enable the user to definepriorities, set parameters, and optimize data outputs.
 212. The methodof claim 187, wherein the step of analyzing the discovered internal andexternal data includes selecting parameters from the one or moreuser-defined parameters, selecting values, value ranges, and/orconditions for the selected one or more user-defined parameters,establishing weight(s) or relative weight(s) for the selected one ormore user-defined parameters, and/or prioritizing weight(s) or relativeweight(s) for the selected one or more user-defined parameters.
 213. Themethod of claim 187, wherein the step of identifying one or moreconditions related to the at least one item includes identifying andestablishing rules, notices, and alerts, which are customized accordingto user-defined criteria.
 214. The method of claim 213, wherein thealerts may be specified by a user by either defining the customizableconditions that trigger the alert or by selecting and/or furtherspecifying alerts from a list of alerts that the system presents to theuser via a user interface.
 215. The method of claim 187, wherein theinternal and external data related to at least one item and resultingfrom the steps in the workflow process are reintegrated into the datamart after each action is processed, wherein the data are continuouslyincorporated into the data mart automatically or at predetermined orother intervals.
 216. The method of claim 189, further comprising, afterthe step of producing one or more reports based on the analysis of thediscovered internal and external data, the step of recommending to theuser, via one or more of the software modules, one or more proposedactions with respect to the procurement, sourcing and strategic sourcingof the at least one item on behalf of the enterprise based on theanalysis of the discovered internal and external data.
 217. The methodof claim 191, further comprising, after the step of producing one ormore reports based on the analysis of the discovered internal andexternal data, the step of recommending to the user, via one or more ofthe software modules, one or more proposed actions with respect to theprocurement, sourcing and strategic sourcing of the at least one item onbehalf of the enterprise based on the analysis of the discoveredinternal and external data.
 218. The method of claim 187, wherein thesoftware modules are implemented in accordance with the steps of theworkflow process.
 219. The method of claim 218, wherein a first actionof the workflow process inputs data into one or more of the softwaremodules, wherein one or more software modules processing a second actionof the workflow process access the data input by the first action,wherein the data input by the first action are automaticallyincorporated in the workflow process and made available to the one ormore software modules processing the second action.
 220. The method ofclaim 219, wherein the data are the result of user input.
 221. Themethod of claim 219, wherein the data are the result of system input.222. The method of claim 187, wherein the one or more software modulesautomatically incorporate the discovered internal and external dataand/or data produced by the analysis of the discovered internal andexternal data resulting from one or more previous actions and/or stepsin the workflow process into a next invocation of the one or moresoftware modules.
 223. The method of claim 222, wherein the data are theresult of user input.
 224. The method of claim 222, wherein the data arethe result of system input.
 225. The method of claim 187, wherein theone or more software modules alert the user of conditions that meet theparameters set by the user and are relevant to the user's tasks inprocurement, sourcing, and/or strategic sourcing.
 226. The method ofclaim 225, wherein the conditions include values, combinations ofvalues, and conditions for the values and combinations of values. 227.The method of claim 187, wherein the one or more software modules areautomatically invoked with partial or complete instantiation, whereinthe partial or complete instantiation specifies all or part of the userinput for performing a task with a software module, wherein theinvocation and instantiation are the result of one or more alerts thathave been triggered, or one or more events that the computer systemdetermines merit invocation of one or more software modules.
 228. Themethod of claim 227, wherein the invocation of the one or more softwaremodules occurs with or without instantiation and is accompanied by arepresentation of an alert or plurality of alerts that caused the moduleto be invoked.
 229. The method of claim 227, wherein the invocation of amodule or plurality of modules with or without instantiation occurs andis accompanied by a representation of the steps that caused the moduleto be invoked.